Criminal legal aid in Turkey

The project aims to carry out an empirical legal aid study to determine the state of criminal legal aid in Turkey, and the degree to which it is accessible for all who need it, in order to make policy recommendations for reforming the system of legal aid in criminal cases in line of international standards and obligations and best practices.

A basic assessment of the legal aid system in Turkey indicated that criminal legal aid has received little attention from the Government and the legal community so far. Preliminary data suggest that in parts of Turkey as few as 20 percent of indigent criminal defendants have access to free legal representation. However, routine data on the provision and cost of legal aid are not kept, calling into doubt the accuracy of these figures. The empirical legal aid study will help determining the current state of affairs and also will indicate the areas in need of change.

The project team will put together a list of policy recommendations to be presented to the Turkish Government and the legal community. The Justice Initiative, in partnership with local partners, will further explore the needs and feasibility of engaging in implementation of the recommendations, provided the Government is interested and committed to improve the legal aid system in Turkey.

The project is a joint initiative of the Open Society Justice Initiative and Bilgi University Human Rights Center. The empirical data will be collected and analyzed by a team of researchers from the Bilgi University Human Rights Center, according to methodology designed in consultation with Justice Initiative.