中華民國法官協會

Statement of the Judges Association of Republic of China（Taiwan） on the Situation of the Judiciary in Turkey

The Judges Association of Republic of China（Taiwan）as member of IAJ aiming to safeguard the independence of the judiciary, to promote human rights and rule of law, condemns the suspension of　680 Turkish judges and prosecutors on the grounds of being labeled as members of “Parallel Structure” and “Gülenists”.

Any measures towards Judges and Prosecutors by labeling in stead of being based on concrete evidence of serious breaches of disciplinary or criminal provisions established by law shall be deemed as persecuting and strongly contradicting the basic principle of judicial independence and rule of law.

The Judges Association of Republic of China（Taiwan） also noted with deep concern recent reports that Turkish judges were removed from office and put to prison due to their judicial decisions, and that judges and prosecutors not loyal to the government have been arrested, suspended, dismissed from office, or reassigned to new positions in small provincial villages without their consent.

Turkey is committed by its Council of Europe membership to respect the rule of law, the principle of independent judges, and an independent judiciary. The current situation for judges in Turkey demonstrates that Turkish authorities do not comply with these principles.

The Judges Association of Republic of China（Taiwan）calls upon the Turkish authorities to desist from their continuing failures to respect the independence of the Turkish judiciary and to secure that independence by complying fully with the relevant international standards.

The Judges Association of Republic of China（Taiwan）
Taipei, 23 March, 2016