'Radical' Shift in Turkey's Judiciary ; in a Bid to Join the EU, Turkish Judges and Prosecutors Are Being Trained in the Fundamentals of Human Rights Law

Yigal Schleifer Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor, The Christian Science Monitor

When a pro-Kurdish politician accused ofsupporting a terrorist organization was acquitted recently, the verdict made front-page news here. "Radical," was how the daily Milliyet described the case.

The nation's State Security Courts (DGMs), tribunals that handle terrorism and political cases, cited European human rights law as the basis of the decision. In doing so, they marked a fundamental shift in the way Turkey's legal system is beginning to operate.

"The DGMs Say Hello to Europe," the newspaper's headline read. But the two courts are not the only parts of the judiciary saying "hello" to Europe. Over the past few months, some 9,200 judges and prosecutors have …

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Publication information: Article title: 'Radical' Shift in Turkey's Judiciary ; in a Bid to Join the EU, Turkish Judges and Prosecutors Are Being Trained in the Fundamentals of Human Rights Law. Contributors: Yigal Schleifer Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor - Author. Newspaper title: The Christian Science Monitor. Publication date: June 2, 2004. Page number: 6. © 2009 The Christian Science Publishing Society. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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