Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek attended the 'Conciliation Award Ceremony and 10th Anniversary Symposium on Alternative Solutions' held in Ankara.
Ministry officials and many guests took part in the program organized by the General Directorate of Criminal Affairs of the Ministry of Justice.
Within the scope of the program, plaques were given to the 33 most successful chief public prosecutors' offices in conciliation in 2025, while plaques and awards were presented to the 10 most successful conciliators.
Speaking at the program, Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek stated that concluding disputes fairly, quickly and at the least cost is among the main objectives of the judicial system.
Stating that they attach great importance to alternative solution methods that enable criminal disputes to be concluded quickly and effectively, Minister Gürlek said, "The criminal justice system is one of the basic guarantees of the state of law.
The success of this system cannot be measured only by investigating, prosecuting and sanctioning crimes.
Protecting the victim, facilitating access to justice, concluding disputes within a reasonable time, and strengthening society's trust in the justice system are integral elements of this success.
Traditional criminal justice is indispensable for investigating the alleged crime, evaluating the evidence and making a lawful decision.
"However, having every dispute go through the same trial process may not always be the most effective and efficient solution," he said.
'THE ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION IS NOT IMPUNITY'
Emphasizing that alternative solution methods do not mean impunity, Minister Gürlek said, “I would like to underline here; alternative solution methods do not mean giving up on justice, but achieving justice in the fastest and most effective way, with methods appropriate to the nature of the dispute.
One of the most important dimensions of alternative solutions is the concept of restorative justice.
Evaluating criminal justice only in terms of whether a crime has been committed and what sanctions will be applied may leave out the human and social dimensions of the dispute.
"Reparing the damage suffered by the victim, taking into account the victimization he/she has experienced, and allowing him/her to have a say in the process that directly concerns him/her are important elements of justice," he said.
Minister Gürlek also said, “First of all, it should be noted that alternative solution and impunity are different concepts.
Alternative solutions do not trivialize the acts determined by the law as crimes.
The crimes in which these methods can be applied, under what conditions and with what legal consequences are determined by law.
Fulfillment of the action agreed upon in conciliation; In other alternative solution institutions, it is important that the conditions and results stipulated by the law are fulfilled.
Therefore, we should evaluate these ways not as an escape from responsibility, but as handling responsibility through a different legal mechanism within the framework permitted by law.
Our basic approach is to prevent the perception of impunity, on the one hand, and to effectively benefit from the opportunities offered by alternative mechanisms, on the other hand.
"The factor that determines deterrence in criminal law is not only the severity of the punishment, but also its certainty and promptness," he said.
'MORE THAN 2 MILLION FILES WERE RECONCILIED'
Stating that the conciliation institution was included in the criminal justice system in 2005 and made a significant progress with the regulations made in 2016, Minister Gürlek said, “In the mediation process, we see that the parties agree on actions that are an example of social solidarity, as well as reparating the damage to the victim.
In this context, the parties; They agreed on actions such as donations to those in need and aid organizations, planting saplings and trees, stationery aid to students, supplying battery-powered cars to our disabled citizens, and donating blood and stem cells to the Red Crescent.
These are beautiful and meaningful examples that show the sense of cooperation and solidarity inherent in our society.
With reconciliation, the law of brotherhood is also established.
"The parties resolve their disputes through peaceful means," he said.
Providing information about the functioning of the conciliation system, Minister Gürlek said, “There are currently more than 30 thousand mediators registered in the conciliator registry and on the lists of chief public prosecutors' offices.
Conciliation institution; It was built on solid foundations with the great efforts and dedication of judges, public prosecutors, conciliators, lawyers and conciliation office personnel, and received positive response from the society.
Since 2017, victims and suspects have been reconciled in more than 2 million cases.
Great success has also been achieved in other alternative solution methods; Many files have been concluded through expedited trial, prepayment, postponement of the filing of a public lawsuit and simple trial procedures.
"Thanks to alternative solution methods, there has been a 33 percent decrease in public cases filed for the first time in criminal and juvenile courts in 2025," he said.
Stating that efforts to develop alternative solution methods are continuing, Minister Gürlek said, “Our main goal is to constantly increase the quality of justice service while making the workload of the judicial organization manageable.
"In order to increase the expected benefit from alternative solutions, it is necessary to improve the application, strengthen the cooperation between institutions and regularly evaluate the problems encountered," he said.
