Akın Gürlek sets date for 'children dragged into crime' regulation: 'We want to change the definition...'

Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek made statements to the pro-government Yeni Şafak Newspaper.

Providing information on social media regulations, illegal betting, and FETÖ operations, Gürlek also spoke about the law on children dragged into crime, which is frequently debated in public opinion.

FIGHT AGAINST ILLEGAL BETTING

Gürlek stated that during his time as the Chief Public Prosecutor of Istanbul, he fought against illegal betting until the end, and noted the following:

“We have had very large operations on this issue. We have dismantled the illegal betting system. These betting companies constantly change their methods, just as in fraud cases. The same method is followed in illegal betting. However, we are determined on this matter.”

REGULATION ON CHILDREN DRAGGED INTO CRIME IN THE 12TH JUDICIAL PACKAGE

Stating that the issue of children dragged into crime will be addressed in the 12th Judicial Package, Gürlek said, “We will carry out work to add a provision to the 12th Judicial Package regarding children dragged into crime. We will conduct this issue in consultation with our Ministry of Family. We plan to accelerate this and bring it to our supreme parliament by summer. We also want to change the definition of a child dragged into crime. In Europe, the age of individuals included in the definition of children dragged into crime is 10. We are continuing our work on these matters as well.”

Emphasizing that criminal organizations and street gangs "take advantage of loopholes" in the legislation and exploit this area, Gürlek stated, “Some regulations were made in this area in the 11th Judicial Package. Preparations for the 12th Judicial Package are ongoing.”

MET WITH THE FAMILIES OF ATLAS ÇAĞLAYAN AND MATTİA AHMET MİNGUZZİ

Explaining that he met with the families following the murders of Atlas and Minguzzi, Gürlek stated that the concept of a child needs to be re-evaluated in terms of age range, saying, “We need to address the concept of a child. In terms of our criminal law, children between the ages of 12-18 have criminal liability. In our penal code, there is a 12-15 age group. And there is a 15-18 age group. We will work on these. We will absolutely not give any leeway to street gangs.”

SOCIAL MEDIA REGULATION

Touching upon the legal regulation efforts being carried out in the field of social media, Gürlek said that this process is progressing in coordination with the Ministry of Family. “As far as I know, there is a legislative study regarding social media. We are in close contact with our Ministry of Family on this issue as well, and we will manage this work together,” he said.

Stating that the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) will step in after the law enters into force, Gürlek indicated that a grace period will be granted to accounts that do not perform verification, saying, “After the law passes through parliament, the BTK will step in. A certain amount of time will be given to the accounts in question. Verifications can be made within that period.”

Emphasizing that identity verification will be the fundamental principle, Gürlek stated, “In other words, if a person is going to comment or publish a post on social media, their identity will definitely be known. They will not be able to do this with a fake account or a fake account from abroad without their identity being verified.”

Drawing attention to criminal liability, Gürlek said, “If a person is making a statement or targeting someone on social media, their criminal liability will now begin because their identity is known. I attach importance to the legislative work regarding social media on this issue.”

"THERE CAN BE NO RELAXATION IN THE FIGHT AGAINST FETÖ"

Gürlek sent a message of determination with the words, "We will continue the fight against FETÖ with determination. There can never be any relaxation on this issue."

AI-SUPPORTED 'HELLO JUSTICE' LINE

Announcing that the 'Hello Justice' (Alo Adalet) line will be established so that citizens can access judicial services more easily, Gürlek said that the pilot application will be implemented in Istanbul. Regarding the AI-supported system, he said, “We will establish the Hello Justice line. The pilot region will be Istanbul. The citizen will either go to the courthouse or call the Hello Justice line. We will carry out an AI-supported study. Wherever there is a deficiency, we will ensure that this line works efficiently by getting support from artificial intelligence. Our citizens will reach the Hello Justice line. This can be via phone, email, or in the same way via CİMER.”

News Source: 12punto