Over 13 million Turkish citizens, roughly 15 percent of the entire population, were the subjects of prosecution in 2018, amounting to an increase of 5 million cases since 2011, Milli Gazete reported on Monday.
According to the report, some 52 percent of the investigations ended without charges, while crimes against private property ranked first among the investigations completed by prosecutors at 27.4 percent.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday unveiled a new round of legal reforms that he said reaffirmed Turkey’s plans to become a member of the European Union.
A day before Erdoğan’s remarks, the European Commission released its latest annual report on Turkey, saying that the country had experienced considerable backsliding in the rule of law, the judiciary and fundamental rights over the course of a year.
The enforcement of fundamental rights is hindered by the fragmentation and limited independence of public institutions responsible for protecting those rights and freedoms as well as by the lack of an independent judiciary, the EU report said.