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EU Parliament Calls for Sanctions on Turkey’s Justice Minister

6/18/2026

Summary

Story summary

The European Parliament approved a report urging EU sanctions on Justice Minister Akin Gurlek and other Turkish officials.
The report calls Gurlek a central actor in a repressive state machinery and recommends freezing his assets.
Turkey's foreign ministry rejected the sanction proposal, calling it a distortion of legal processes.
EU policymakers must weigh the sanctions against Turkey's role as a migration partner and NATO ally amid stalled accession talks.

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Story summary

The European Parliament approved a report urging EU sanctions on Justice Minister Akin Gurlek and other Turkish officials.
The report calls Gurlek a central actor in a repressive state machinery and recommends freezing his assets.
Turkey's foreign ministry rejected the sanction proposal, calling it a distortion of legal processes.
EU policymakers must weigh the sanctions against Turkey's role as a migration partner and NATO ally amid stalled accession talks.