ISTANBUL
Turkey is marking the tenth anniversary of a major criminal law reform by hosting an international consultation which could pave the way for how the country makes legislation in the future.
More than 200 academics from 40 countries gathered in Istanbul on Monday to discuss comparative criminal law reforms.
Academics working on international law from Poland to Canada and Norway to Uruguay gathered at Istanbul Justice Palace as part of the country’s Second Criminal Law Reforms Congress.
The congress, which carries a subtitle called ‘Criminal Sanctions – the Gap Between Idea and Use’ will run until June 6.
Turkey undertook a major review of its republican-era criminal law – formerly based on European countries’ penal codes – on June 1, 2005.
Speaking at Monday’s event Turkey’s Justice Minister Kenan Ipek said that the country had a “renewal term” on its legal system “in the last 10-15 years.”
“With the accelerating effect of Turkey’s European Union membership process, our country has been in an extensive transmission period on politics, economy and law,” Ipek said.
“Large-scale reforms are being performed (in the country),” Ipek said, adding that decisive steps had been taken to raise democratic standards and fundamental rights.
Speaking at the event, the dean of Istanbul University Law Faculty Adem Sozuer said 2005’s reforms were the first time that Turkey made such radical changes to its criminal law with an elected parliament.
“The government and the opposition had come to an agreement [to change the criminal law] 10 years ago,” Sozuer said.
“[Then-prime minister, now president] Recep Tayyip Erdogan supported freedom of expression and organization; in the same way then-opposition leader Deniz Baykal. President of the time, Ahmet Necdet Sezer, signed all the reforms without hesitation.”
“This reconciliation was also supported by many non-governmental organizations,” he added.
Speaking at the same event, president of the International Association of Penal Law, John Vervaele spoke about the importance of comparative criminal justice.
“We live in a global world, in a village, in times of globalization. I know that the UN is working with model treaties, model laws… [It] is working on global standards but still criminal justice is extremely embodied in national legal cultures.
“The UN also knows that even if they elaborate international standards they also elaborate model roles for implementation, they have to take account of the grassroots at the basic level.”
Vervaele mentioned the importance of being active on the comparative criminal justice and justice reforms: “If you compare your own system with the system of other countries you learn a lot more about yourself.”
The First Criminal Law Reforms Congress was held in 2010.
