Chief Ombudsman Mr. Mehmet Akarca presented 2025 Annual Report of the Ombudsman Institution to the Joint Committee, composed of the members of the Petition Committee and the Human Rights Inquiry Committee of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (GNAT).

During his presentation, Mr. Akarca shared information regarding the work of the Institution in 2025, including data on the number of complaints, files examined, decisions issued, and amicable settlements.

Mr. Akarca emphasized that the Ombudsman Institution has evolved beyond being merely a constitutional body and has become a strong institution that establishes trust between individuals and the administration. He stated that 2025 was a year in which confidence in the Ombudsman Institution was proved to be strengthened according to the concrete indicators.

He reported that the number of complaints to the Institution increased by 42.49 percent compared to the previous year.

Mr. Akarca noted that, including pending complaints carried over from previous year, the total number of examined files reached 21,837, and continued:

“Throughout the year, 20,473 complaints were finalized with the same determination and diligence, providing a strong response to the pursuit of justice. 20.47 percent, or 4,191 of the complaints finalized during 2025 were “admissible”. In 2025, 30.40 percent of complaints were regarding the public personnel regime, followed by justice, national defense and security with 16.81 percent, and education, youth and sports with 9.12 percent. The statistics of complaints by administration reveals that the highest number of applications, at 13.4 percent, were directed to the Ministry of Justice, predominantly concerning requests related to prison transfers. The Ministry of Health ranked second with 12.7 percent.”

Underlining that the Ombudsman Institution produced solutions in many cases without the need for recommendation decisions, Mr. Akarca stated, “Thanks to the constructive dialogue the Ombudsman Institution established between the administration and citizens, rapid and effective access to justice has been ensured. As a concrete indicator of this approach, the number of files resolved through amicable settlement reached 2,042 in 2025. Of these, 1,086 were finalized through amicable settlement decisions, while 956 were resolved through referral decisions.”

Sharing that the Ombudsman Institution issued 901 recommendation decisions and 313 partial recommendation partial refusal decisions, Mr. Akarca added, “The total number of amicable settlement decisions, recommendation decisions, and partial recommendation partial refusal decisions constitutes 77.69 percent of the decisions issued on admissible applications. This rate demonstrates that the Ombudsman Institution either directly produces solutions or exhibits a strong will toward resolution in the majority of applications.”

Mr. Akarca also noted that the Ombudsman Institution continues to play a guiding role in ensuring that administrations act in accordance with the principles of the rule of fairness, human rights, and good administration.

Mentioning significant decisions in the fields of children’s rights, education, and social security, Mr. Akarca provided assessments regarding special reports, national and international activities, cooperation with universities, and efforts to promote the culture of seeking legal remedies.

The meeting was attended by Ombudsmen Mr. Ertunç Erkan Balta, Ms. Fatma Benli Yalçın, Mr. Abdullah Cengiz Makas, Mr. Özcan Yıldız, Mr. Şerif Yılmaz, and the Secretary General of the Ombudsman Institution Mr. Mehmet Doğan.