The Ardahan Newspaper | Since 1995 |
The European Parliament's (EP) 2026 Draft Report on Turkey included a call to add Turkish Justice Minister Akın Gürlek to the European Union sanctions list. European lawmakers claimed that judicial independence in Turkey has been eroded, with the judiciary being used as a political weapon, and asserted that Gürlek has been at the center of politically motivated cases during both his past tenure as a judge and his current ministerial role, thereby demanding economic sanctions such as freezing his assets. Justice Minister Akın Gürlek reacted strongly to these allegations and the sanctions initiative, emphasizing that Turkey is an independent and sovereign state governed by the rule of law. Stating that baseless accusations were made against him over ongoing judicial processes, Gürlek noted that EP reports are merely advisory political texts and described this move as a "futile effort."
