They eliminated the runner-up in Turkey: Interview barrier for earthquake survivor in judgeship exam

AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan promised to abolish the public interview system before the May 14 elections, yet it has still not been removed more than a year after the elections.

While the government defends the system in question as 'necessary for merit,' the grievances caused by it continue unabated. The latest scandal occurred at the Ministry of Justice.

THEY ELIMINATED THE RUNNER-UP IN TURKEY IN 3 MINUTES

According to the report by Merve Şişman from Karar; Gökhan Kuşcuoğlu, an earthquake survivor from Hatay, placed 107th with 88.54 points in the 2021 administrative judgeship exam and 165th with 83.80 points in 2022. He was eliminated in the interviews. In 2023, he placed 2nd in Turkey with 93 points and appeared before a committee chaired by the Deputy Minister of Justice at the Dikmen Judges' House, along with 7 other people.

He was eliminated in the oral exam, which lasted 3 minutes. Kuşcuoğlu protested the injustice he experienced by saying, 'How am I supposed to prove that I can be a judge in 3 minutes?' He stated, "I experienced one destruction in the earthquake and another in the exam. The state's unfair interview process is also killing people."

THE COMMITTEE INCLUDES BOTH THE HSK AND THE JUSTICE ACADEMY

The interview committee that eliminated Gökhan Kuşcuoğlu consists of a total of seven members: a deputy minister appointed by the Minister of Justice as chair, the Head of the Inspection Board, the General Managers of Criminal Affairs, Legal Affairs, and Personnel, the Secretary General of the Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK), and one person selected from the Advisory Board of the Justice Academy of Turkey.

A REFERENCE TO BOZDAĞ

Gökhan Kuşcuoğlu described his experiences in the interviews as follows:

"In the 2016 Administrative Judiciary Judge Candidate exam, I placed 43rd in Turkey with 89 points. While 200 administrative judge positions had been created, only 120 people were hired as a result of the interviews. The Minister of Justice at the time, Bekir Bozdağ, had said, 'We could not find a sufficient number of qualified candidates.' Yet, I had answered all the questions asked in the interview correctly. I guess they didn't find me qualified! What else do I need to do for our state to accept me as an administrative judge? How should I prove that I can be a judge in 3 or 3.5 minutes? Is there perhaps a material and spiritual power given to the commission members by God? How do they know whether people can be judges by making a decision in 3 minutes that could affect 30-40 years of their lives?.."

"I CAN NO LONGER MAKE SENSE OF IT"

Kuşcuoğlu, who started working in Van as an Assistant Migration Expert on 22.05.2017, did not give up. He passed the administrative judgeship exam held in 2019, placing 102nd with 86.93 points. However, he could not pass the interview again.

Emphasizing that the interview did not even last 3 minutes this time, Kuşcuoğlu said:

"In 2021, I passed the same exam as 107th with 88.54 points, and the district governorship exam as 123rd with 79.75 points. The interview results, as you might guess, were negative again. Around September 2021, I was appointed to Hatay. Despite the negative results, I continued to work. In the 2022 administrative judgeship exam, I scored 83.80 points this time. The interviews were held in 2023. My district governorship interview was also postponed until after the earthquake. I survived the February 6 earthquakes. I experienced one destruction in the earthquake and another with the interview results. It is not just the earthquake that kills people, but also injustice. When conditions in Hatay became difficult, I requested a transfer again. I started my duty in Gümüşhane on August 15, 2023. I was no longer thinking about taking exams. Then, on December 3, I tried my luck again in the district governorship exam. I also took the judgeship exam on December 23-24. The district governorship results were announced on December 28. I passed the exam for the 4th time, placing 186th with 76.17 points. The judgeship results were announced on January 23. I placed 2nd in Turkey with 93.24 points. I was so happy... I thought, 'Now I will become an administrative judge, I will make the state accept me.' I participated in the administrative judgeship interview on June 11. It went so well and comfortably... While I was thinking, 'I guess I really deserved it this time,' I was eliminated despite having achieved a high ranking. I can no longer make sense of this. I have bought so many books and spent so much money on courses until now. I say, 'I wish I had used that money elsewhere.'"