Serial trial procedure in Turkish criminal procedure and its impact on fundamental rights and freedoms

The serial trial procedure, which aims to expedite the judicial process, has been implemented in Turkish Law since January 1, 2020. Known as "plea bargaining" in foreign legal systems, this procedure has been regulated as the "Serial Trial Procedure" in the Turkish Legal System. This alternative resolution method, established in line with goals such as ensuring the expeditious and fair adjudication of cases and reducing the workload of the courts, is stipulated in Article 250 of our Law on Criminal Procedure, numbered 5271. The serial trial procedure, which encompasses these mentioned objectives, is a procedure based on the admission of the suspect, and it is implemented by reducing the punishment of the confessing suspect. Given that this institution is relatively new in our criminal law and its detailed examination, as well as the problems and difficulties encountered in theory and practice, are considered important. As mentioned earlier, since it is new in our legal system, the resolution of disputes arising from the serial trial procedure is also a matter of debate. Its impact on our fundamental rights and freedoms, its examination in many aspects such as the limitations it imposes on our rights, is necessary and requires evaluation. KEYWORDS: Crimal Procedure Law, Serial Procedure, Accelerated Procedure, Simplified Dispute Resolution Procedures, requisition, Right to a Fair Trial, Fundamental Rights And Freedoms.