Erdogan’s judicial reforms to eliminate opponents

Osman Kavala, one of Turkey’s highest-profile detainees, has raised doubts about President Tayyip Erdogan’s planned reforms in judiciary, he says is being used to silence dissidents.

Kavala believes that after decades of watching Turkey’s judiciary seeking to restrict human rights, it was now engaged in eliminating perceived political opponents of Erdogan’s government.

For critics at home and abroad, Kavala’s case illustrates what they call a crackdown on dissent and the politicization of the judiciary under Erdogan, especially since a failed coup in 2016. The government says its measures are aimed only at protecting national security.

Erdogan on March 2 spelled out few specific reform measures and instead listed principles to improve the justice system which he said were a step towards a new constitution.

Erdogan has faced accusations of increasingly autocratic rule and his critics said the “action plan” failed to address concerns about an erosion of human rights.

U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration has called for Kavala’s release, prompting a rebuttal from Ankara.