We publish here, with the agreement of his author, a letter sent by our Turkish colleague Mehmet Tank from his prison in Turkey to the then President of the Italian Supreme Court of Cassation.
Mehmet Tank is a former tax judge from Turkey with a dedicated career in the judiciary and a steadfast commitment to judicial independence.
He began his career as a tax inspector in 2002 before entering the judiciary in 2005. He served as a tax judge within the administrative justice system. He was involved in YARSAV, the independent Turkish association of judges and prosecutors, especially as officer for international affairs. YARSAV was and still is the IAJ and EAJ member for Turkey.
Due to his commitment to judicial independence, Mehmet Tank faced repeated reassignments – a form of punishment – between 2011 and 2016, and was finally arrested, dismissed and imprisoned until being released on parole in 2021. He is now based in Switzerland, where he lives with his family.
