Justice Minister Tunç's assessment of the process: "There have been constant attempts to obstruct the AK Party since its founding."

Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç linked the "new process" to the establishment of the AKP, saying, "There were constant attempts to obstruct it."

Tunç answered questions and made statements regarding the current agenda during the live broadcast of A Haber.

Speaking on the 9th anniversary of the July 15th coup, Tunç said, "As a result, 127,000 people were dismissed from public service for alleged connections and affiliations with FETÖ . When we considered whether there might have been any wrongdoing among these 127,000 people, the State of Emergency Commission was established. The State of Emergency Commission reviewed 127,000 applications and returned approximately 20,000 of them. Those who were not returned were kept open to seek legal action. Normally, there is no such avenue in our Constitution or laws."

Tunç also informed that 4,06 judges and prosecutors were dismissed from the judiciary, and that the number of judges and prosecutors dropped from 12,000 to 8,000 during that period, and that the practice of appeals also began around the same time.

Speaking about FETO members abroad, Tunç continued:

"We have requested red notices for those who fled abroad, both after 17/25 and before July 15. But unfortunately, the world has abandoned us at this point. They are still there, in European countries, in America. We have submitted 2,364 extradition requests to 118 countries.

131 PEOPLE WERE RETURNED

Only 131 people were extradited from countries we consider friends, the Turkic Republics, and countries with which we have very good relations. Three were deported officially and 128 unofficially and returned to us. We have 3,579 red notice requests. Unfortunately, we regret to see that Interpol disregarded our red notice requests as if they were political criminals.

DISARMING PROCESS

Tunç responded to the question, "There is a Terror-Free Türkiye project. What role will the Ministry of Justice take on regarding this issue? Could there be a new regulation on executions regarding the Terror-Free Turkey process?"

Stating that "we are going through historic days and that the burning of weapons is a very important turning point in this process," Tunç argued that "there are circles that want this process not to be built, and that there have been constant attempts to obstruct it since the AKP's founding."

Constitutional Amendment

Speaking about the constitutional amendment, Tunç said, "Article 35 of the Internal Service Law... These have been abolished. The structure of the Council of Judges and Prosecutors, and the Constitutional Court have been brought in line with the principle of a democratic state governed by the rule of law. There was an article in the Constitution that said, 'Coup plotters cannot be tried,' but these were amended. There was an article in the Constitution that said, 'Martial rule can be declared when necessary.' These are Türkiye's greatest achievements. That's why we're proposing a new constitution, to take these achievements even further. Even though we've distanced ourselves from the tutelary mindset and the coup-oriented mentality, and we've tried to diminish that tutelary spirit, we continue on our path with a Constitution crafted by the coup plotters."

Tunç claimed that the constitutional amendment was not related to the PKK's disarmament process, saying, "This success wouldn't have been possible with the coalition governments of the 1990s. It's impossible to achieve that level of consensus when governments change in a year and a half, when the Ministry of Justice is affiliated with one party and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with another. As the People's Alliance, this success was achieved through complete coordination and harmony."

BOARD ESTABLISHED IN AKP

Tunç also touched upon the committee established within the AKP regarding the constitution, stating that work on the constitution in Parliament would proceed in different areas.

Minister Tunç claimed that there was a distortion regarding the cases heard at the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), saying, "Over the last 10 years, there are 47 countries, and 710,739 cases have been brought before the ECtHR. Of these, 11,252 have been found violative. The violation rate for all countries is 1.58%. For Turkey, 102,000 cases have been brought before the ECtHR, and 1,193 violations have been found. In other words, we are below average in terms of the violation rate."

"WE MUST WAIT FOR THE RESULT OF THE INVESTIGATION"

In response to the question, "As the Minister of Justice, is it possible for you to call a judge or prosecutor and give instructions?" Tunç maintained that the judiciary conducts investigations independently and impartially, continuing his remarks as follows:

"How did the judiciary learn about the money towers in Istanbul? They learned it when the CHP leaked it to the media. The investigations began there and expanded with evidence that emerged after the testimonies were taken. They included statements from informants with ties to the Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor and some district mayors, and most of these informants are their own friends. Now, regarding the situation in Manavgat, they initially tried to claim ownership, but when red-handed footage was released, they said, 'We couldn't believe it.' What are you supposed to do when more evidence you can't believe emerges? You'll be embarrassed then, and the investigation continues."

Now, the red-handed incident in Şile, why have they remained silent until now? The mayor of Şile was detained, and they never stood up for him. Because they learned in advance that he was caught red-handed and didn't stand up for him. Especially from the moment investigations into municipalities began, especially the investigation into the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, they immediately declared, "This investigation is political." How do you know? You don't know the contents of the file, he hasn't been interrogated yet, no questions have been asked yet, you don't know what will be asked, you don't know what his defense will be, you don't know what the digital materials obtained are, and you immediately stand up for him. Here, we must await the outcome of the investigation.

10. REGULATIONS IN THE JUDICIAL PACKAGE

In response to the question, "Are investigations only targeting opposition parties?", Minister Tunç said that investigations have also been launched against AKP municipalities and that AKP municipalities have been subject to 30 cases in the past 5-6 years.

Tunç reported that currently 13 people have been convicted in this matter, 7 cases are ongoing and 10 have been acquitted.

When asked, "Do you find the public opinion polls showing sufficient levels of trust in the judiciary?", Tunç argued that there is black propaganda around the world regarding the Turkish judiciary.

Tunç also touched upon the regulations in the 10th Judicial Package and continued as follows:

"The package included many regulations, particularly regarding special execution procedures, executions at home, and the execution of sentences for the sick, detained, convicted, and elderly. Our legislation was amended to increase their applicability. Of course, we won't be satisfied with these. Now, in our second package, the 10th package, regarding criminal justice, there were some regulations that were not enacted and were postponed due to the Parliament's agenda."

MINGUZZI CASE

Tunç, explaining that they are considering legislation regarding children drawn to crime following the stabbing death of 15-year-old Mattia Ahmet Minguzzi in Kadıköy, said, "It is our fundamental duty to protect our children, who are our future, from all kinds of dangers, violence, and addiction. We are working together with the Ministry of Family and Social Services, as well as the Ministry of Interior and Justice on this matter. We have some initiatives to undertake, particularly to ensure more effective investigations and reconciliation of children drawn to crime, and to protect the rights of children who are victims of crime, and we have brought these to the final stages."

Tunç, recalling that an article regarding the crime of endangering traffic safety was enacted in the 10th Judicial Package on traffic, noted the following:

We have prepared a draft law regarding traffic stops, drifting, blocking the road, leaving the scene of a fatal accident after causing one, and even failing to call an ambulance. These are all crimes punishable by imprisonment. We have submitted them to our parliamentary group, and these issues are being discussed within our group. These will be included in the 11th package in the upcoming legislative process.

Justice Minister Tunç added that "good news" regarding the appointments would be announced in the coming days.