President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has appointed İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek as Turkey’s new justice minister, prompting a sharp backlash from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP). The CHP argues the move confirms a politically driven judicial campaign against the party, citing Gürlek’s role in investigations and prosecutions targeting opposition figures and municipalities, including cases involving İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu—widely seen as Erdoğan’s strongest rival ahead of the 2028 election. Tensions spilled into parliament during Gürlek’s swearing-in.
As justice minister, Gürlek will chair the Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK), which oversees judicial appointments and discipline—significant because the CHP previously filed a complaint against him with the HSK. Critics also point to Gürlek’s involvement in several high-profile, politically sensitive trials and decisions that have fueled concerns about judicial independence.