Turkish justice: justice sought desperately

The Turkish judiciary faces growing international criticism. It the allegations of torture are increasing. President Erdogan has in the back - but a lot of new prisons to build.

By Karin Senz, ARD-Studio Istanbul

The Turkish justice is international, more and more criticism. The beginning of the week, the European people had demanded rights court in Strasbourg, a written opinion from Ankara to sacked and arrested judges and prosecutors. Last week, the EU agreed to Commission the Turkey backwards in terms of fundamental rights and the rule of law. President Erdogan's announced reform of the judiciary members of the opposition not to expect much.

The prisons in Turkey are full – overfull. Since the coup nearly three years ago, well over 100,000 people have been arrested, most of them, because they should have supported Terror. And the terrorist supporters will quickly know the Turkey-expert of Amnesty International in Istanbul, Andrew Gardner:

"The biggest Problem in Turkey is that You know what You'll end up in jail or a display on the neck did. This can be anything: You're doing something that can be a speech, You very You a citizen assigned somewhere, to a Meeting, even if only the civil society comes together, anything published by a Journalist or activist, anything in social networks."

detention can occur years

take as soon as you get in, get out but not back in. The detention can last for several years. The Turkish culture patron Osman Kavala has been sitting for about a year and a half to know for a long time without any, what they say of him exactly - and in solitary confinement, complains of his lawyer Köksal Bayraktar.

The German-Turkish newspaper correspondent Deniz Yücel.

Also, the Turkish-German newspaper correspondent Deniz Yücel sat for a long time in remand and in solitary confinement. He also accuses the Turkish state of torture. These are prominent cases. The brother of Yildiz Doganay is not one of them. He sits in Elazig in the East of Turkey in prison, because he is supposed to have support for the banned Kurdish PKK. Yildiz Doganay is afraid of him. He was for nearly two years in pretrial detention - in a single cell. Since the prison had him guard failed:

"were Six to seven people. He turned then to the Prosecutor and said: control the camera shots. This was done and it was clear to see - but in the end nothing came out."

lawyer Yusuf Erdogan, says, complaints are rarely what. He works for a human rights organization in the Kurdish stronghold of Diyarbakir. However, he does not believe in injunctions for abuse from the very top:

"The guards think: no Matter what the detainee just said, I get no penalty. I do so for the state to protect him - and these prisoners are all terrorists. So which Think is. But I stress: no matter what the reason a Person is sitting in prison, you have to treat them humanely."

Erdogan responsible?

the whole of The hostile atmosphere in the country, many encourage a kind of self-justice, say critics. For them, the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is responsible for this. Again and again he threatened, against terrorists are hard to proceed. But he defends himself:

"allegations of systematic torture or ill-treatment belong to the past - and we are determined that this development stays that way. Therefore, we take further steps to ensure that detention measures are appropriate."

Rare sounds from Erdogan's mouth. However, he can grade tens of new prisons to build and plan. The goal: space for a total of half a Million people behind bars.

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