Chief prosecutor-turned-Justice Minister Akın Gürlek vowed that he would work to end the lengthy duration of trials and ensure a swift conclusion in response to citizens’ complaints. Speaking to the broadcaster NTV on Thursday, Gürlek reiterated plans to establish a "justice hotline” where the public would "feel that their complaints are heard.”

"They will be able to find out why their cases are stalled or delayed,” he said.

Some trials, especially involving multiple plaintiffs, may take years, though Türkiye managed to improve the courts’ capacity in recent years.

Gürlek said they had a performance system in place for judges. "Judges have to follow several principles required for their promotion. They are determined by the Board of Judges and Prosecutors. They are required to issue a verdict within a certain time frame, and their verdicts should be upheld by the Court of Appeals. We will now apply these regulations in a stricter way,” Gürlek said.

"We have to ask a judge why he or she did not conclude a divorce trial for eight years,” he said, giving one example of prolonged trials. "If they cannot present a reasonable excuse for delay, inspectors will examine the cases,” he said.

"Citizens have a right to know why an eviction case took five years. They will be informed of time limits and causes of delays,” the minister said.

Fight against drugs

Gürlek said drug abuse is a "bleeding wound” for society and emphasized the need to examine why young people turn to drugs. Gürlek said authorities first identify the user in drug investigations, followed by the street dealer, then the main distributor and ultimately major cartels.

"This system works the same way all over the world. In our narcotics operations in Istanbul, we captured two primary cocaine distributors. Likewise, we have conducted operations against major cartels abroad. The fight against drugs proceeds step by step. We will pursue it to the end. We must drain this swamp. The future of our youth is entrusted to us,” he said.

Gürlek also said the term "children driven to crime” should be reconsidered while referring to minors involved in crimes.

"We are examining examples in modern and comparative law. In Türkiye, criminal responsibility for children ranges from ages 12 to 18. In Norway, for example, the age of criminal responsibility has been lowered to 10. We are studying these models. We must determine why children fall into a void and turn to criminal organizations. If necessary, we will increase their penalties. We need to revise enforcement regulations. Unfortunately, our enforcement law contains provisions specific to minors, meaning one day spent in prison counts as two. If necessary, we will amend enforcement rules so that minors serve their full sentences,” he said. Gürlek stressed that beyond preventing children from being drawn into crime, their general morality must also be protected.

"Unfortunately, on social media, there are broadcasts and individuals that undermine public morality and encourage children toward genderlessness. We will combat these as well. If there is a legal gap in the Turkish Penal Code, we must introduce sanctions. The future of our children is entrusted to us. We must protect public health and public morality. We have identified deficiencies in the Turkish Penal Code. There are those who publish content on social media that undermines public morality, encourages children toward genderlessness and steers them toward deviant movements. We will fight them as well. Our teams have begun technical work. We hope to implement these measures soon as part of the 12th Judicial Reform Package (expected to be presented to Parliament for approval in the future),” he said.