Ceza Muhakemesinde Yetersiz Savunma Desteğinin Haksız Mahkumiyetlere Etkisi Üzerine Karşılaştırmalı Bir Hukuk Analizi

Year 2025, Volume: 83 Issue: 3, 303 - 362, 15.10.2025

Esra Nur Bal , Aylin Yalçın Sarıbey

https://doi.org/10.30915/abd.1612901

Abstract

Adaletin en temel güvencelerinden biri olan savunma hakkı, ceza yargılamasında yalnızca biçimsel olarak tanınmakla değil, ancak etkin ve nitelikli şekilde kullanıldığında anlam kazanmaktadır. Buna karşılık farklı ülkelerdeki haksız mahkumiyet vakalarının nedenleri arasında, savunmanın yetersizliği — özellikle etkisiz temsil — sıklıkla ikincil bir unsur olarak görülmekte, oysa uygulamada bu faktör doğrudan ve kalıcı sonuçlara yol açabilmektedir. Bu çalışma, Kıta Avrupası ve Anglo-Sakson hukuk sistemlerinde adil yargılanma hakkını, masumiyet karinesi ilkesini ve savunma mekanizmalarının yapısal işleyişini karşılaştırmalı olarak ele almakta ve yetersiz savunma desteğinin haksız mahkumiyetlere etkisini nitel doküman analizi yöntemiyle incelemektedir. Avrupa İnsan Hakları Mahkemesi kararları, yüksek yargı kararları ve somut dava örnekleri çerçevesinde yapılan analizler, savunma kalitesindeki eksikliklerin adil yargılanma hakkını nasıl zedelediğini ortaya koymaktadır. Bu bağlamda, haksız mahkumiyetlere neden olabilen yetersiz savunma desteğinin önüne geçebilmek adına müdafilik mesleği için uzmanlık temelli sertifikasyon, kalite denetimi, zorunlu müdafilik kapsamında finansal iyileştirmeler ve yapısal reform önerileri geliştirilmiştir. Çalışma, savunmanın adalet sistemlerindeki işlevini yalnızca normatif değil, kurumsal dinamikler ışığında sorgulayan bütüncül ve özgün bir katkı sunmayı hedeflemektedir.

Keywords

hatalı mahkumiyetler , yetersiz savunma desteği , adil yargılanma hakkı , Kıta Avrupası , Anglo-Sakson

A Comparative Legal Analysis of the Impact of Inadequate Defense Support on Wrongful Convictions in Criminal Procedure

Abstract

One of the fundamental guarantees of justice, the right to legal defence, acquires its true meaning not merely through its formal recognition in criminal proceedings, but through its effective and qualitative implementation. Nevertheless, among the causes of wrongful convictions across various jurisdictions, the inadequacy of defence counsel—particularly in the form of ineffective assistance—is often treated as a secondary factor, despite its direct and lasting impact in practice. This study offers a comparative analysis of the structural functioning of fair trial rights, the presumption of innocence, and defence mechanisms within Continental European and Anglo-Saxon legal systems. Using the method of qualitative document analysis, it investigates the effects of inadequate legal defence on wrongful convictions. Through an examination of judgments from the European Court of Human Rights, high court decisions, and selected case studies, the research reveals how deficiencies in defence quality undermine the integrity of the right to a fair trial. In this context, the study proposes a series of substantive reforms aimed at preventing wrongful convictions stemming from deficient defence support—including specialization-based certification for defence lawyers, independent quality oversight mechanisms, financial and professional enhancements within public defence schemes, and institutional restructuring. Ultimately, the study seeks to contribute a comprehensive and original perspective by situating the role of legal defence not only within a normative legal framework but also within broader institutional dynamics of justice systems.

Keywords

wrongful convictions , inadequate defence support , right to a fair trial , Continental Law , Anglo-Saxon Law

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