Court blocks access to news reports about Turkish judge dismissed over accusations of blackmail

A Turkish court has blocked access to news reports about Judge Gül A., who was dismissed following a number of allegations including threats, blackmail, bribery and substance abuse, on the grounds that the articles contained “non-objective and accusatory” language.

Gül A., formerly serving in the main courthouse of Turkey’s southern Adana province, petitioned the Ankara 4th Penal Court of Peace to block access to the reports. The court ruled in her favor, saying the news articles were overly accusatory and lacked objectivity.

Gül A. allegedly took bribes in return for having an accused fuel smuggler released, threatened her romantic partner with death and used drugs that had been confiscated by the police.

Turkey’s justice ministry has previously said that the judge was first suspended due to allegations of threat and blackmail and ultimately removed from the bench, based on an investigation launched by the Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK).

In recent years, several members of Turkey’s judiciary have been implicated in allegations of corruption, bribery and misconduct, bringing into question the quality of the country’s judges and prosecutors.

In a development that confirmed the erosion of the Turkish judiciary, Turkey was ranked 117th among 142 countries in the 2023 Rule of Law Index published by the World Justice Project (WJP) in late October, dropping one place in comparison to the previous year.