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THE OMBUDSMAN INSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF TÜRKİYE

1.2 Ombudsman Mr. Yahya Akman

Our Institution paves the way for the transformation that will take our country much
further in the field of democracy, human rights and law; creates an opportunity for
both individuals and public administrations; contributes to reaching a compromise
between the administration and the citizen on matters incompatible with public
conscience; serves to establish a modern administration approach based on the
principles of good administration, “transparency” in particular. Our institution, which
acts as a public authority, enabling individuals, groups of individuals, CSOs and legal
entities to communicate their complaints and seek justice directly and to participate in
the administration, contributes to placement of the concepts of “right”, “law”, “justice”
and “conscience” in administrative functioning.

On the other hand, the presence of fundamental rights and freedoms in only written
legal instruments does not mean a lot. Commitment to and confidence in law by the
public administration and users of public power matter a lot in protecting human
rights in real terms. It should be noted that the implementation of reforms, especially
in the political, legal and administrative areas, has special importance. The reflection of
the law and other legal rules on the behaviours of lawmakers (judges and prosecutors,
law enforcement officers, civil administrators and military personnel) and other public
officials and individuals is a time-consuming process, depending on the increased

12 2019 ANNUAL REPORT