Turkish president vows to boost judicial reform efforts

ANKARA (AA) - The Turkish president on Wednesday pledged to step up the country’s judicial reform efforts.

"In the new judicial year, we'll accelerate our judicial reform efforts that will relieve both our justiciary organization and our nation," Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a ceremony in the capital Ankara.

The government has "rolled up" its sleeves for a new judicial package, he said at the event marking the opening of a new service building for the Supreme Court and the start of the 2021-2022 judicial year.

"Our friends will bring this new package on the parliament's agenda as soon as possible," the president added.

On March 2, Erdogan announced a human rights plan, unveiling 11 principles set to be carried out in the course of two years.

It was designed as a "broad-based" plan to strengthen rights protections, individual freedoms and security, judicial independence, personal privacy, transparency, and property rights, as well as protect vulnerable groups and enhance administrative and social awareness of human rights.