{"id":284721,"date":"2026-04-05T13:33:35","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T13:33:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/halkweb.com.tr\/?p=284721"},"modified":"2026-04-05T13:33:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T13:33:35","slug":"in-the-shadow-of-justice-law-or-power-speaks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/halkweb.com.tr\/en\/in-the-shadow-of-justice-law-or-power-speaks\/","title":{"rendered":"In the Shadow of Justice: Does Law or Power Speak?"},"content":{"rendered":"
Today is Lawyers' Day...<\/div>\n
The day of the defenders of the law, the representatives of justice...<\/div>\n
But one question haunts us all:<\/div>\n
How much justice, how much law is it really?<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Saros Research's answers to the question \u201cIs there a problem of justice in Turkey?\u201d are striking:<\/div>\n
%84,3 \u201cYes.\u201d<\/strong>, %8,4 \u201cPartially\u201d...<\/strong><\/div>\n
Yani toplumun %92,7\u2019si adalet sorunu oldu\u011funu d\u00fc\u015f\u00fcn\u00fcyor.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
This rate is not a statistic...<\/div>\n
This is a clear indication that public confidence in justice is alarming.<\/div>\n

Justice is Not Just a Court Decision<\/h3>\n
Justice is not just a verdict delivered in a courtroom.<\/div>\n
Justice begins in the conscience of man.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The Holy Qur'an says:<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cO you who believe! Be strict upholders of justice and bear witness for the sake of Allah, even if it be against yourselves, your parents and your relatives.\u201d<\/div>\n
(Surah al-Nisa, Verse 135)<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
This is precisely what is being discussed today:<\/div>\n
Does justice work according to the right or according to the person?<\/div>\n

The Crack in the System<\/h3>\n
Even the following understanding of the justice system, which is expressed from time to time, is a problem in itself:<\/div>\n
\u201cLet's arrest him, the higher court will fix it...\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Of course, this statement is not an official approach.<\/div>\n
However, it has become a popular opinion among citizens, spread by word of mouth.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
This kind of rhetoric on the street - whether true or not - points to a much bigger problem:<\/div>\n
Damage to public confidence in the justice system.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Because justice is not just about making the right decision,<\/div>\n
it is also about ensuring that the truth is believed.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
If in the mind of the citizen:<\/div>\n
\u201cIf there is a perception that \u201dthe higher court will correct it anyway\",<\/div>\n
there is no longer just an implementation problem,<\/div>\n
there is a crisis of confidence.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Decisions made in the shadow of this approach,<\/div>\n
reduces human life to a procedure.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Acquittals after months...<\/div>\n
Silent evictions<\/div>\n
And most of the time not even an apology.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Why is the Public's Trust in Justice Shaken?<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The question in the minds of citizens today is:<\/div>\n
\u201cShould I find a good lawyer or a well-connected one?\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
This question in itself is a crisis.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cThis is why those before you perished: They let the strong go free and punished the weak.\u201d<\/div>\n
(Bukhari, Muslim)<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
If society feels that way,<\/div>\n
There is not only a problem of perception, there is a serious problem of trust.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
So what is the solution?<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Criticizing is not enough.<\/div>\n
Concrete steps are essential to restore justice:<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
1. Arrest should be an exception<\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Arrest is a measure, not a punishment. It should not be applied arbitrarily.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
2. Judicial Independence Should be Guaranteed<\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Judges and prosecutors should be able to make decisions without any pressure.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
3. Establish an Accountability System<\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
There must be accountability for wrong decisions, a culture of accountability, not a culture of \u201csorry\u201d.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
4. Merit should be taken as a basis<\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The justice system works on merit, not on relationships.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
5. Abolish the Interview System or Make it Transparent<\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Judge and prosecutor candidates,<\/div>\n
\u201cnot \u201dwho should I find?\",<\/div>\n
\u201cif I deserve it, I will be appointed anyway\u201d.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Where there is an interview, there is this risk:<\/div>\n
You do not become a man of justice, but a man of those who get themselves elected.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The impartiality of a judge selected by interview instead of merit,<\/div>\n
it becomes controversial in the first place.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Therefore:<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
-The interview system should either be abolished completely<\/div>\n
-Or it should be made auditable with camera recording, objective criteria and transparent scoring<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
6. Strengthen Social Conscience<\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Justice is not only the responsibility of lawyers, but of society as a whole.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Today is Lawyers' Day...<\/div>\n
But in fact, this is a day for all those who seek justice...<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
If people in a country get justice not in a court of law,<\/div>\n
if he started looking for connections...<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The problem there is not only the legal system,<\/div>\n
is the spirit of justice.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
And it should not be forgotten:<\/div>\n
Justice is the foundation of property.<\/div>\n
If the foundation is damaged, no structure will stand.<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Justice is not just a verdict delivered in a courtroom.
\nJustice begins in the conscience of man.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":284728,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[286],"tags":[289],"class_list":{"0":"post-284721","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-yazarlar","8":"tag-manset"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/halkweb.com.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284721","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/halkweb.com.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/halkweb.com.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/halkweb.com.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/halkweb.com.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=284721"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/halkweb.com.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284721\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":284729,"href":"https:\/\/halkweb.com.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284721\/revisions\/284729"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/halkweb.com.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/284728"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/halkweb.com.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=284721"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/halkweb.com.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=284721"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/halkweb.com.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=284721"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}