Better Justice Association presents judicial reform proposals to politicians and global legal experts at the European Parliament and UK House of Lords
Gün + Partners believes that it will be possible for Turkey to achieve an advanced level of welfare for its citizens and for it to take its position among the developed countries by asserting the rule of law and through promoting an advanced democracy. The Turkish judiciary needs to be efficient, transparent and totally independent in order to ensure the rule of law. In keeping with this belief, we make every possible effort support Better Justice Association’s activities as a corporate social responsibility.
The Better Justice Association (BJA) – a politically neutral thinktank that is committed to improving the rule of law in Turkey and internationally – attended a roundtable discussions at the House of Lords in London hosted by Lord Iain McNicol and met with senior officials at the European Parliament, European Commission and European External Action Service (EEAS) in Brussels.
On 23 May 2023, global experts from prestigious organisations including the International Bar Association, the Law Society of England and Wales, and the UCL Judicial Institute, came to hear the BJA’s President Atty. Mehmet Gün and a team of BJA researchers outline the judicial reform proposals which were published last year in the BJA’s acclaimed book “Turkish Judicial Reform A-Z”.
“We were deeply honoured to be hosted by Lord Iain McNicol at the House of Lords for this important and timely discussion. The main reason why societies do not defend the judiciary and, on the contrary, why judges can become easy targets for politicians, is that the judiciary has lost the trust of society by not producing sufficient and high-quality services,” said Atty. Mehmet Gün, the President of the Better Justice Association.
While they were in London, the BJA also met His Excellency Ambassador Osman Koray Ertaş at the Turkish Embassy in the UK.
On 6 June 2023, another BJA delegation travelled to Belgium. After being hosted by their Excellencies Ambassador Faruk Kaymakci (Turkey’s Permanent Delegation to the EU) and Ambassador Bekir Uysal (Belgium) the group met with senior European officials including Nacho Sanchez Amor MEP (EU Rapporteur on Turkey), Bernard Brunet (EU Commission) and Dr Ferdinand Kopp (EEAS Turkey Desk Officer). That evening, the BJA hosted a roundtable discussion with key European thought leaders including representatives from the Brussels School of Governance, the European Policy Centre (EPC), and the European Neighbourhood Council (ENC).
“We believe that our innovative proposals, which ensure the full separation of the judiciary from the executive and legislative powers, are capable of building back the public’s trust. The BJA research team enjoyed discussing our ideas with senior politicians, policy experts and like-minded NGOs” added Mr Gün.
“We have identified many of the most pressing challenges surrounding the rule of law and hope our work will initiate important discussions that can bring about positive changes in jurisdictions around the globe. The valuable feedback the BJA team received in London and Brussels has further fueled our desire to improve and refine our judicial reform proposals.” Said Atty. Hande Hançar, board member of the Better Justice Association.
ABOUT THE BETTER JUSTICE ASSOCIATION
The Better Justice Association (BJA) is a politically neutral Turkish non-governmental organisation founded in 2014 by a diverse group of lawyers, academics, and opinion leaders under the leadership of Attorney Mehmet Gün.
The aim of the association is to improve the rule of law in Turkey by developing universally acknowledged solutions to local and international problems of the judiciary.
The BJA works to bring together individuals, institutions, and organisations that are related to the judiciary and society on common ground, to reach social consensus and agreement on ideas and suggestions, and to implement any agreed proposals.
Over the last two years the BJA has hosted a webinar series to raise international awareness around some of the problems and solutions identified in “Turkish Judicial Reform A-Z”. The diverse range of contributions from global experts on judicial reform included:
- Sir William Blair QC – Professor of Financial Law and Ethics at Queen Mary University of London and Former Judge of London’s Commercial Court
- Professor Cheryl Thomas – Co-Director of the UCL Judicial Institute
- Professor Tom Ginsburg - Leo Spitz Professor of International Law at the University of Chicago Law School
- Dr. David Kosař- Head of the Judicial Studies Institute and Associate Professor of Constitutional Law at the Faculty of Law at Masaryk University
- Professor Zoltán Fleck - Professor of Law and Sociology at the Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) of Budapest
For more information about the Better Justice Association, visit: https://www.dahaiyiyargi.org/en/
For more information about the BJA’s Webinar Series visit: https://www.dahaiyiyargi.org/en/media/
