The Lawyers for a Democratic Society, a progressive-leaning association of attorneys, said on the 8th that it agrees with establishing a special court division dedicated to insurrection cases, a plan being discussed mainly by the pro-government bloc.
Issuing a statement on the 8th, the group said, "The reason a bill to establish an insurrection-dedicated court division continues to be discussed in the National Assembly is that distrust has accumulated over the court's handling of insurrection trials," adding, "The court, which was expected to swiftly conduct trials and punish insurrectionists, has instead invited distrust that it may be shielding them."
At the same time, it said, "The bill must be crafted carefully and precisely within the bounds of the Constitution so as not to give insurrectionists grounds to quarrel." It also said, "If bills that are not well considered or refined pass, they can produce results entirely different from their intent," adding, "Designing a system without controversy is key."
The group argued that it has two concerns about the special insurrection court division bill that passed the full session of The National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the 3rd.
First, it said granting the Minister of Justice and the Constitutional Court Secretary-General the authority to recommend members of the candidate recommendation committee for the insurrection court division is inappropriate from the perspective of separation of powers, adding, "It should be revised to a recommendation method that can secure independence and neutrality."
Regarding the provision extending the six-month detention period for defendants under the Criminal Procedure Act to one year only for defendants in insurrection trials, it said, "At this point, when even the first detention period has already lapsed, it can cause unnecessary controversy," adding, "Rather than setting a different detention period, the insurrection court division should conduct swift trials."
On the nationwide chief judges' meeting on the 5th expressing the view that the insurrection court division may be unconstitutional, it said, "It is a representative example of how far removed it is from the expectations of sovereign citizens." It added, "The independence of the judiciary rests on citizens' trust. The courts should rightly cooperate actively in establishing the insurrection court division." It also said to the National Assembly, "It should avoid unnecessary legal disputes and not give insurrectionists a pretext. It is necessary to make every effort so the division can be established without controversy, listening to many opinions."