Vienna Panel Discusses Corruption and Social Justice

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Vienna Panel Discusses Corruption and Social Justice

A discussion panel titled “Fight against Corruption from the Perspective of Equal Opportunity” was held as part of the 24th Session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) on May 22, 2015, at the UN office in Vienna.

On December 17 [2013], Turkey was shaken by a corruption scandal that involved the inner circle of [then Prime Minister] Recep Tayyip Erdogan … [I]t has become clear that this new level of corruption has become systematic and institutionalized.

The panel was jointly organized by JWF and the Vienna-based Friede Dialogue Institute, and was led by JWF’s UN representative Yasemin Aydin.

JWF Vice President Huseyin Hurmali delivered the opening speech of the discussion, which drew a large number of international guests. Hurmali noted that one of the most important problems of world politics is the lack of social justice.

During the panel it was stressed that corruption, which is one of the major reasons for inequality and a lack of social justice, is used as a tool by politicians of anti-democratic countries for their personal interests.

Some theories on corruption in Turkey were provided, since a major graft operation erupted on December 17-25, 2013, implicating senior members of the government.