Symposium Name: Symposium on the “Monitoring of Penitentiary Institutions in terms of Human Rights and Criminal Justice System”

Symposium Date: 02 March 2022

Venue: Supreme Court Hall of the Constitutional Court

Prisons have been existed as a “punishment system” in many societies for centuries. But according to the modern approach, which emerged as a result of the discussions of subjects such as deprivation of liberty of persons, detention systems, the expected purpose of crime and punishment in the historical process, prisons undertake both a preventive and a therapeutic mission. Only in this way, prisons can undertake function as a “recovery and rehabilitation center” where the person can be prepared for social life and learned to adopt a legal life by preventing re-offending, alongside with being a method of punishment for persons who are deprived of their liberty. Based on this idea, it is expected that all persons who are deprived of their liberty must have all the rights and freedoms other than the deprivation brought about by detention, like other individuals, and that they must not face any obstacles in use of these rights or that these obstacles must be eliminated through related institutions.

The Human Rights Action Plan, which was prepared in line with the vision of “Free Individuals, Strong Society” and announced to the public on 2 March 2021 and assigning duties and responsibilities to many public institutions and organizations, considers to increase the effectiveness of human rights inspections as one of the most important components of a strong protection system in places where persons are deprived of their liberty. In the penal system, which includes the final stage of the criminal justice system, it is of prime importance that the execution procedures and practices are effectively open for observation and inspection of human rights institutions.

The full protection and promotion of the human rights of person who are deprived of their liberty can only be achieved with the involvement of the widest possible range of actors. Legislative branch, executive branch, judiciary branch, national human rights institutions, national preventive mechanisms, non-governmental organizations, civil monitoring boards and international organizations are crucial stakeholders in the realization of this goal. To increase the cooperation and dialogue process of these institutions, which carry out visits to places where persons are deprived of their liberty, and undertake the task of improving the current conditions of these places, is at the center of the symposium to be held.

With this symposium we are aim to contribute to the establishment of criminal justice and to increase the cooperation of the delegations that carry out visits to places where persons are deprived of their liberty in order to monitor and follow up these places in line with the international standards and to prepare a basic data set in reaching the targets envisaged in the context of the Human Rights Action Plan. In this context, bringing together national and international standards, carrying out visits in accordance with the human rights perspective and criminal justice system, developing early warning mechanisms, the roles of monitoring mechanisms, alternative solutions for the cooperation of governmental or non-governmental delegations that carry out visits to the places where persons are deprived of their liberty would be possible outputs of the symposium.

ORGANIZATION BOARD

Yılmaz BÖLÜKBAŞI – Vice Chairman / Human Rights and Equality Institution of Türkiye

Mehmet Alp DİDİNMEZ – Coordinator of National Preventive Mechanism Unit / Human Rights and Equality Institution of Türkiye

Dr. Ertuğrul YAZAR – Expert on Human Rights and Equality / Human Rights and Equality Institution of Türkiye

Merve SOYLU ÇAKI – Judge / Human Rights and Equality Institution of Türkiye

Şeyma GÜNDÜR – Social Worker / Human Rights and Equality Institution of Türkiye

SCIENTIFIC BOARD

Prof. Dr. Esra Gül DARDAĞAN KİBAR – Atılım University Faculty of Law

Prof. Dr. Feridun YENİSEY - Bahçeşehir University Faculty of Law

Prof. Dr. Handan YOKUŞ SEVÜK - Dicle University Faculty of Law

Prof. Dr. Haydar Burak GEMALMAZ – Istanbul University Faculty of Law

Prof. Dr. İlhan ÜZÜLMEZ - Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University Faculty of Law

Prof. Dr. Nihat BULUT - Istanbul Medipol University Faculty of Law

Prof. Dr. Pınar MEMİŞ KARTAL - Galatasaray University Faculty of Law

Prof. Dr. Yusuf Şevki HAKYEMEZ - Member of the Constitutional Court

Prof. Dr. Yücel ACER - Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University Faculty of Law

Assoc. Prof. Fahri Gökçen TANER - Ankara University Faculty of Law

Assoc. Prof. Fatma Ebru GÜNDÜZ - Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University Faculty of Law

Assoc. Prof. Taylan BARIN - Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University Faculty of Law

 

For detailed information: sempozyum@tihek.gov.tr

The symposium will be broadcast live on Youtube.

NOTE: A limited number of people have been invited to the symposium within the scope of COVID-19 measures, and there will be no outside participation. The symposium will be broadcast live on Youtube. The Human Rights and Equality Institution of Türkiye reserves the right to make any changes regarding the schedule and execution of the Symposium depending on the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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