KAMU DENETÇİLİĞİ KURUMU

Chief Ombudsman Mr. Mehmet AKARCA

Mr. Mehmet AKARCA has been elected at the General Assembly of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (GNAT) as the new Chief Ombudsman of the Republic of Türkiye.

Mr. Mehmet Akarca was sworn in on 03 December 2024 and officially took office as the new Chief Ombudsman of Türkiye.

Chief Ombudsman Mr. Mehmet AKARCA, was born on 21 January 1963 in Şirvan/Türkiye. After graduating from Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Law in 1986, he worked as a judge in courts in several cities throughout Türkiye. During his career he served as the President of Heavy Penal Courts in different cities of Türkiye.

He was elected as a Member of the Court of Cassation on 18 January 2010, and was elected President of the 14th Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation by the General Assembly of the Court of Cassation on 21 October 2013.

Among other candidates nominated by the General Assembly of the Court of Cassation, he was elected Chief Public Prosecutor of the Court of Cassation by the President of the Republic of Türkiye on 18 May 2015. He was elected First President of the Court of Cassation by the General Assembly on 24 March 2020. He retired from this position on 14 May 2024.

On 12 November 2024, Mr. Mehmet AKARCA was elected as Chief Ombudsman by the General Assembly of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye.

Chief Ombudsman Mr. Mehmet AKARCA is married and has two children.

Ombudsman Ertunç Erkan BALTA

Att. FATMA BENLİ YALÇIN, PhD

As a Lawyer, conciliator, mediator and has a doctorate in Law Fatma BENLİ YALÇIN elected as the Ombudsperson by the Joint Committee of Petitions and Human Rights Inquiry under Grand National Assembly of Türkiye for 4 years on November 11, 2020 and November 13, 2024

Mrs. Yalçın is a Graduate of Istanbul University’s Law Faculty. She completed her master's degree at Marmara University and her doctorate in private law at Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University.

Mrs. Yalçın was awarded for her valuable work on human rights for 15 years, selected among the “500 Most Influential Muslims in the World” in a publication published by Georgetown University in 2009.

In 2012, she was also appointed as a member of the National Human Rights Institution of Türkiye by the Decree of Council of Ministers. She served until 2015.

Mrs. Yalçın served as the group secretary of the Black Sea Region Group of Committee of Wise People, is comprised of 63 members who are expected to improve the climate for peaceful relations in Türkiye in 2013.

She was also Türkiye’s representative of the lnternational Jurists Union (IJU) for 3 terms between the years 2009-2015.

Having served for 15 years in various foundations focusing on women, law and international law, Mrs. Yalçın has delivered countless number of presentations on human rights both in Türkiye and to abroad such as CEDAW to Harvard Law Faculty. She has books and articles published with concentration on public sphere, freedom of expression, European Court of Human Rights, United National Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, violence against women, honor killings, property regimes and human rights.

Mrs. Yalçın has elected as a parliamentarian of Istanbul in the 25th and 26th legislative periods between the years 2015 -2018, including her membership to the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, she served as the deputy president of the Commission on Human Rights Inquiry. She was Vice Chairman for Political and Legal Affairs. In addition, she was deputy president of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse. She was also a member of the Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men and the Committee on Prisoners’ Rights. She served also a member of the NATO Parliamentarians Assembly.

AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

1. Human Rights

2. Services provided by local governments

3. Women's rights

4. Children's rights

5. Disability rights

6. Social services

7. Protection of the Family

8. Population, Citizenship, Refugee and Asylum Rights

Ombudsman Mr. Sadettin KALKAN

He was born in Kocaeli in 1962. Having completed his primary, secondary and high school educations in İzmit, he graduated from Istanbul University Department of Law in 1986. He began his career as Zonguldak district governor candidate in 1987. In 1990, he embarked his district governorship service as Ulus district governor. Afterwards, subsequently, he served as district governor in Ulus and Çamoluk, Diyarbakır deputy governor, district governor in Ardeşen, Beşikdüzü, Sarıkamış, Kaman, Gölmarmara, Kadirli ve Turgutlu. While he was İstanbul deputy governor İstanbul, he was appointed as Secretary General of Turkish Grand National Assembly. During his Diyarbakır deputy governorship service, he obtained his master’s degree from Dicle University in 1997. He received vocational and language trainings for a year in the United Kingdom. He carried out research about the Ombudsman in Spain.

He was elected as Ombudsman by the Joint Committee comprised of members of Petitions Committee and Human Rights Investigation Commission of Grand National Assembly on 17/01/2018.

Having very good command of English, he is married with three children.

AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

Public Personnel Regime including the following sub-topics:

Recruitment (Appointment, Transfer, Assignment and Replacement of Public Officials),
Duties, responsibilities and general rights,
Financial rights,
Promotion,
Social rights and benefits,
Disciplinary punishment and dismissal,
Problems of contractual and temporary staff,
Personnel within the scope of privatization,
Cadre and/or positions,
Civil service exams (written exams and oral examinations conducted by the public institutions),
Complaints regarding attitudes and behaviours of public officials (including mobbing and ill-treatment),
Any other matters regarding public officials