Statement from Minister of Justice Gürlek on indefinite alimony and the 12th Judicial Package

Minister of Justice Gürlek said, "We are planning to implement the necessary legal regulations regarding indefinite alimony within the scope of the package in October."

Minister Gürlek attended the 2026-2027 Judicial Year Opening Program of Ankara Bar Association No. 2. Speaking at the program at the Ankara Courthouse Conference Hall, Gürlek said, "The first part of our 12th Judicial Package has been enacted and entered into force. Hopefully, we will bring the second part to the agenda in October. We hope to add some regulations to solve the problems experienced by our lawyers in this package, which we envisage to consist of 24-25 articles."

Drawing attention to the reasonable periods in cases and the target timings in the judiciary, Minister Gürlek said, "Our lawyers must know how long it will take for the cases they file to be concluded. For this reason, we express at every opportunity that our judges and prosecutors must comply with the target periods determined in the judiciary. We aim to complete rent determination cases in 9 months and eviction cases in 1.5 years.

"We also plan to implement measures that will prevent the prolongation of divorce cases and the legal regulations needed regarding indefinite alimony after the annulment decision of the Constitutional Court, within the scope of the package in October." He stated:

Emphasizing the large human resource power of the judicial organization with numerical data, Minister Gürlek touched upon the importance of professional solidarity and said, "As a lawyer who comes from the practice, I know closely the problems our lawyers face while using court offices and courthouse services. I express everywhere I go that all members of our justice organization, especially our judges and public prosecutors, should act with courtesy and professional respect towards our lawyers. Because we are members of the same large legal family with our 27 thousand 500 judges and prosecutors and 211 thousand lawyers." he said.

Stating that they have resolved the lawyers' requests regarding their personal rights and financial issues with the Ministry of Finance, Gürlek said, "We also receive constant requests from our lawyers regarding gun license fees. We had discussions with our Ministry of Finance on this issue; thank you, they helped us. We have reached a common agreement that in the package that will be brought to the agenda in October, hopefully, the gun license fee will be charged at half the rate for the first application and no fee will be charged for subsequent renewals."

Gürlek reiterated that no concessions will be made to initiatives that harm social morality and the legal order and said, "As we have all witnessed recently, we have seen that popular personalities, who should be examples for our society, have damaged our national and moral values, and have poisoned especially our younger generations with their lifestyles that encourage lawlessness. We have determinedly taken up these problems by carrying out the necessary legal procedures."

Gökhan Ağdemir, President of Ankara Bar Association No. 2, emphasized the critical role of justice on the state structure and social peace and said, "The hand of the state reaching out to its citizens, the trust of the citizens in the state, and the society's walking towards the future in peace depends on the strong sense of justice."

Pointing out the importance of the legal profession and the judiciary as a whole, Ağdemir said, "A strong defense is one of the most important elements of a strong legal order; our aim is to ensure that the Century of Turkey is also the 'Century of Justice of Turkey'."