Türkiye is preparing to expand its e-Hearing system to broader areas of the judiciary as part of an ongoing digital transformation drive aimed at making legal proceedings faster, more accessible and more efficient.
Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said Friday the new phase of the initiative would widen the use of remote hearings beyond first-instance courts and extend them to regional courts of appeal, allowing a wider range of participants to join proceedings online.
Under the planned expansion, lawyers, defendants, expert witnesses, specialists and witnesses will be able to take part in hearings through digital platforms. The reform is also expected to cover procedural steps such as preliminary hearings, interrogations, witness testimony, oaths and letters rogatory.
The Justice Ministry said work on the expanded system accelerated after Gürlek pledged to continue technological reforms designed to reduce lawyers’ workload and speed judicial processes.
“We will continue to develop digital capabilities so that our lawyers can dedicate their energy to their professional activities instead of going back and forth to the courthouse,” Gürlek said.
The initiative forms part of a broader judicial modernization effort centered on digital services and technology-assisted legal procedures. Recent reforms have emphasized shortening trial times, improving access to justice and strengthening institutional efficiency.
The e-Hearing system operates through the National Judiciary Informatics System, or UYAP, Türkiye’s long-running digital judicial network designed to manage court files, legal correspondence and case proceedings electronically. UYAP has been developed over the past two decades to reduce bureaucracy, accelerate proceedings and support paperless judicial administration.
The latest expansion follows several technology-focused initiatives introduced by the ministry in recent months. Authorities recently announced the rollout of the “e-Avukat” application enabling secure video meetings between lawyers and inmates, while Gürlek also unveiled plans for a domestic artificial intelligence-supported UYAP decision support system capable of rapidly analyzing precedent rulings and complex case files.
Ministry officials said judges may also be granted authority to order e-Hearings on their own initiative when deemed necessary, a step intended to further streamline proceedings and improve courtroom efficiency.
Lawyers have generally welcomed the expanded use of digital hearings, particularly for reducing travel burdens and easing scheduling pressures.
The ministry says the reforms are part of a longer-term effort to build a faster and more accessible justice system through technological innovation and digital legal services.
