A committee of 30 officials from the High Council of Judges and Prosecutors made a study visit to the Netherlands, Belgium and France between 26 and 31 October 2015, with the purpose of exchanging of information regarding the projects of the Council and increasing the knowledge and experience of the rapporteur judges and inspectors at the Council by observing the activities of International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in the Hague (the Netherlands) on site and visiting the Judicial Consultancies at the Hague (the Netherlands), Brussels (Belgium), and Paris (France). The committee was chaired by Mr. Mehmet DURGUN, Member of the First Chamber of the HCJP, and accompanied by Mr. Selim YILDIZ, the President of the Inspection Board of the HCJP, and Mr. Musa KANICI and Mr. Erdal DEMİR, the Deputy Secretaries General of the HCJP.

In the morning of 27 October 2015, a presentation titled “Consultancy Activities, the Judicial System of the Netherlands” was made to the Committee by Mr. Hakan A. YAVUZ, Judicial Consultant at the Hague. After the presentation, an exchange of information on “the State and Judicial System of the Netherlands” took place in the meeting with the participation of Mr. Sadık ARSLAN, the Ambassador at the Hague. In the afternoon of the same day, International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia was visited. During this visit, the Committee first attended a hearing of the case of Ratko Mladic as an observer, then obtained information on the file of the observed case and the general working system of the Tribunal in a meeting with Judge Alphons ORIE, who was the chair of the tribunal committee in the said case. After that, Mr. Mathew GILLETT, Judicial Expert at the Prosecutor’s Office, made a presentation to the Committee regarding the general functioning of the Prosecutor’s Office.

Subsequently, the Committee went to Brussels and participated in the Reception for the 29 October Republic Day held in Brussels, accompanied by Mr. Necati NURSAL, Judicial Consultant at the Permanent Representative of Türkiye at the European Union, and Dr. Musa TANRISEVEN, Judicial Consultant of the Embassy at Brussels.

Finally, the Committee went to Paris and with the company of Mr. Abdullah AYDIN, Judicial Expert of the Embassy at Paris, visited Mr. Hakkı AKİL, The Ambassador at Paris.

Following the completion of their work, the Committee returned home on 31 October 2015.

Visit to the Embassy at the Hague...	Photograph taken in front of the International Court of Justice...
Mr. Mehmet DURGUN, Member of the First Chamber of the HCJP, with Mr. Sadık ARSLAN, the Ambassador at the Hague...	Visit to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia at the Hague...
The Reception for the 29 October Republic Day held in Brussels...	Mr. Mehmet DURGUN, Member of the First Chamber of the HCJP, with Mr. Hakkı AKİL, the Ambassador at Paris...
Visit to the Office of Mr. Hakkı AKİL, the Ambassador at Paris...