New legislative proposal from CHP

CHP Gaziantep Deputy Hasan Öztürkmen has submitted a legislative proposal to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) aimed at ending debates surrounding the expert witness system. During a press conference held to share the details of the proposal, Öztürkmen emphasized that expert witnesses should be determined automatically through an Expert Appointment Information System Program, rather than by judges or courts.

Stating that the current system harms judicial independence, Öztürkmen said:

"The controversial reports of hand-picked expert witnesses effectively replace the court, placing these experts in the judge's seat. In a judicial system that has suffered great damage, the process of appointing expert witnesses must be addressed urgently. It is possible to implement a mechanism for expert appointments similar to the mandatory defense counsel practice under the Criminal Procedure Code."

"IT WILL BE A LITMUS TEST"

Öztürkmen noted that how the legislative proposal regarding the expert witness system is received in Parliament will reveal the true stance on judicial independence. Drawing attention to investigations targeting CHP-run municipalities and Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, he used the following expressions:

"The stance that the AKP, MHP, and their other minor partners take toward this legislative proposal will be a litmus test for judicial independence. We say challenge accepted! If you are truly impartial regarding an 'impartial judiciary,' you will say 'yes' to this legislative proposal that will eliminate the 'expert witness' absurdities we are experiencing. You will stop making judicial institutions tools for your political operations. In short, we want impartial expert witnesses, not hand-picked ones."