TÜSİAD: We Must Avoid Regulations and Practices That Limit Freedoms
TÜSİAD stated that in order to overcome important societal and economic issues ahead, it is necessary to avoid regulations and practices that restrict freedoms.
In the statement, it was noted that "The strength of our country’s democracy and rule of law will determine its influence in the political and economic fields worldwide."
The announcement continued: "Laws are binding for all citizens and institutions. However, every political development or legislative change that comes to the fore has a significant impact on perceptions and expectations. Therefore, each step we take should serve the expectations for the improvement of democracy and the security environment.
The appointment of trustees to local governments results in depriving the citizens living in those cities and districts of an elected local administration. In the context of trustee appointments, it is the people who elected the local administrators that are punished, not the dismissed local officials. The person who will replace the dismissed local administrator should be determined through democratic means, and any criminal investigation regarding the dismissed local administrator should continue through its proper channels.
Furthermore, the uncertainties included in the amendments to the Turkish Penal Code that have recently come to the agenda of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, known to the public as "influence peddling," could lead to contradictory and debatable practices, potentially imposing disproportionate limits on rights and freedoms. In its current state, the new definitions of crimes, which contain numerous uncertainties regarding which actions of NGOs, the press, researchers, and academics could be considered criminal, pose a risk of creating an unsafe and unpredictable environment for everyone.
To overcome the significant societal and economic issues ahead, we must avoid regulations and practices that restrict freedoms and ensure legal security and predictability."