Turkish Justice Minister Akın Gürlek Rejects EU Parliament Sanction Proposal

Justice Minister Akın Gürkel used his X account to denounce a European Parliament draft that would list him for EU sanctions. He asserted that Turkey is a democratic, independent, sovereign law‑state and that its courts decide cases solely on the Constitution and statutes. Gürkel called the Parliament’s remarks “ideologically biased” and described attempts to politicise ongoing Turkish judicial proceedings as “futile”. He said, “European Parliament reports are merely advisory political texts and targeting Turkey’s judiciary is a vain effort.”

The controversy centres on comments by European Parliament member Vladimir Prebilic, who suggested adding Gürkel to the EU sanction list and linked the issue to broader EU measures such as asset freezes. AKP deputy Ömer Çelik also defended Gürkel, condemning Prebilic’s language as disrespectful and stating that “no one has the right to insult the Turkish cabinet”.

Azerbaijani news outlet reported the same Turkish reaction, highlighting that the proposed sanction would appear in the Parliament’s June 17 report on Turkey. All parties reiterated Turkey’s commitment to fight terrorism, organized crime and corruption without external political pressure.