ANKARA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday unveiled a human rights “action plan” designed to strengthen the rule of law and judicial independence in a country that rights groups say lacks both.

Erdogan quoted the late US civil rights leader Malcolm X in saying he stood “for justice, no matter who is for or against it” before laying out the details of his 11-point proposal.

Its commitments include respecting the presumption of innocence and a speedier judicial process to reduce the length of pre-trial detention.

Erdogan said the plans’ ultimate goal was to lay the groundwork for a new constitution that he has promised to adopt by the time Turkey marks its centenary as a post-Ottoman republic in 2023.

“Our goal is to further strengthen the rule of law,” Erdogan said in televised remarks.

But his speech coincided with the announcement that prosecutors were seeking a two-year jail term for Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu for insulting a former regional governor.

Imamoglu is a top member of the opposition CHP party who upset Erdogan’s candidate in a 2019 local election.—AFP