Feti Yıldız discusses criminal procedure and secret witness rights

Feti Yıldız, Deputy Chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) responsible for legal and election affairs, has shared insights regarding criminal procedure and evidence principles. Yıldız emphasized that criminal proceedings begin with suspicion of a crime and aim to eliminate uncertainty through principles of conscientious proof to uncover material truth.

He stated that judges must base decisions on collective, lawful evidence that parties have actively participated in discussing. Yıldız noted that unlike civil proceedings, criminal evidence cannot be pre-arranged or subject to evidence agreements, making the principle of freedom of evidence essential.

Addressing the use of secret witnesses, Yıldız argued that such measures should only be used when absolutely necessary. He advocated for respecting the right to defense, suggesting that if secret witnesses are utilized, defendants must be granted the right to orally question them. He noted that the inability to base a verdict solely on a secret witness's statement is a significant legal achievement.