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Constitutional Court cancels law proposing increase in detention period in crimes against state

05 July 2013 00:58 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Turkish Constitutional Court on Thursday overturned a recent law which proposes an increase, duplication, of detention period suggested in the Code on Criminal Procedure (CMK) for serious crimes against state, APA reports quoting local media.

The court reversed the law, which was adopted by Parliament as part of the 3rd Judicial Reform Package last summer and went into effect after president's approval in the same period.

The Article No: 6352 of the 3rd Reform Package proposed to duplicate jail term for those who face charges of involvement in espionage and crimes against security of the state, constitutional order, national defense and state secrets.

The reform package, which introduces nearly 100 amendments to the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), the Code on Criminal Procedure (CMK), the Counterterrorism Law (TMK) and the Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law, was designed to increase democratization in line with the standards of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and ease the judiciary's burden by accelerating judicial processes.

The new reform package also obliges prosecutors to obtain permission from relevant authorities in order to investigate officers in a number of top state institutions, including the General Staff, the National Security Council (MGK), the National Intelligence Organization (MÄ°T) and the police force. Prior to the third judicial reform package, prosecutors were free to investigate any state official, no matter the crime.