Remarks by Slovenian member of European Parliament Vladimir Prebilic regarding possible sanctions by the EU against Justice Minister Akın Gürlek drew the ire of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party).
The party’s spokesperson, Ömer Çelik, accused Prebilic of “political backwardness” and acting like “a colonial commissioner.” In remarks to Turkish journalist Cansu Çamlıbel published online on June 12, Prebilic said they would suggest including Gürlek in a sanctions list of the European Union, citing Gürlek’s former tenure as a chief prosecutor in corruption investigations against opposition-run municipalities.
Gürlek himself responded to the remarks on Saturday through a social media post and said European Parliament reports where his name may be included were “political texts about recommendations” and “targeting Türkiye’s judiciary over such texts is a futile attempt against national will and our country’s sovereignty.” Gürlek vowed Türkiye’s fight against corruption and other crimes would not be derailed by campaigns of political pressure and “nobody should think that they could exert pressure on the judiciary of Republic of Türkiye.”
On Sunday, Çelik said in a social media post that it was a “political shame” for Prebilic to speak “like a colonial commissioner.”
