Justice Minister: Shortening detention periods would create public outcry

Speaking at the parliamentary Planning and Budget Commission during negotiations over the ministry's budget for 2012, Ergin commented on the CHP proposal. Recalling the release of Hizbullah member suspects, which caused a public uproar, Ergin said: “If we only focus on long detention periods, we will have unwanted results. Instead, we should perhaps focus on the excessive length of trials. Each case should be concluded in a reasonable period of time.”

He pointed to courts' heavy workload and recalled that for some time the government has been working to accelerate the appeals process and shorten the period of a trial. Ergin also noted that as part of judicial reform the government believes it has become inevitable to enact laws such as a bill on mediation in legal disputes in order to lighten the court's workload.