Turkish main opposition proposes bill for retrials

Lawmakers from Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) on Thursday proposed a bill that includes amendments regarding the judiciary, including retrials and repeal of special-authority courts. MPs say the bill is intended to alleviate concerns and suspicions created by the special-authority courts’ rulings, as well as minimize harm to convicts who have allegedly been deprived of the right to a fair trial. The bill also includes regulations on secret witnesses and the handling of computer-based evidence. The issue of retrials surfaced after the Turkish armed forces filed a criminal complaint calling into question the validity of judgments delivered in cases on its personnel, which were heard by special-authority courts. These courts were repealed in a July 2012 amendment, but they were allowed to continue running trials till they finish cases at hand.