The recent sentencing results regarding the December 3rd Insurrection—an event that shook the very foundations of democracy—are nothing short of shocking. The consecutive "slap-on-the-wrist" punishments and "not guilty" verdicts handed down to major criminals who attempted to destroy the constitutional order and usurp national sovereignty are a frontal denial of the universal values of law and common sense. The public’s current indignation goes beyond mere dissatisfaction with a verdict; it is a desperate lament over a reality where judicial justice has vanished.
Broken Judicial Justice and the Disconnect from the People
The judiciary must be the final bulwark of a democratic republic. However, the recent rulings regarding the accomplices of the 12.3 Insurrection demonstrate that this bulwark is collapsing of its own accord. Despite the existence of clear evidence and circumstances, the bench has granted immunity to the perpetrators under the guise of "legal interpretation." This makes it difficult for judges—who are tasked with defending the Constitution—to avoid the criticism that they are instead siding with constitutional destroyers and turning back the clock of history.
The point of true public fury is not the mechanical interpretation of statutes, but the double standard where the grand principle of "equality before the law" becomes powerless only in front of specific powerful elites. Which citizen could possibly accept this situation as the "rule of law" when the judiciary, which applies strict standards to the minor mistakes of ordinary citizens, shows infinite leniency toward the protagonists of an insurrection that endangered the nation's existence?
Irresponsibility Hidden Behind the Fortress of "Legal Logic"
Courts often use "insufficient evidence" or "strict legal interpretation" as a shield. However, crimes that destroy the constitutional order, such as insurrection, are not merely the sum of fragmented individual acts; they are the product of a massive conspiracy intended to overset the entire democratic system. To break these down with microscopic legal technicalities to grant immunity is no different from the judiciary denying its own reason for existence.
Many point out that at the root of these rulings lies an outdated elite consciousness and authoritarian thinking. This "judicial disaster" is the result of being buried in their own internal logic within a closed judicial system, ignoring the changing times and the standards of the people. The moment law and common sense diverge, the law ceases to be a social norm and degenerates into a tool for the powerful.
Judicial Reform: An Unavoidable Task
Ultimately, this situation clearly proves that the judiciary's capacity for self-purification has reached its limit. Now, the people are moving beyond simply demanding the correction of verdicts and are strongly calling for fundamental judicial reform.
Strengthening Judicial Accountability: Mechanisms must be established to hold judges socially accountable for their rulings. Judicial independence is not a sacrosanct privilege, but a value guaranteed only when fair judgments are rendered.
Expansion of the Jury System and Democratic Control: There is an urgent need for structural changes that break down the closed nature of the sentencing process and allow the common sense of citizens to be substantially reflected in trials.
Personnel Renewal and Re-establishment of Values: There must be a rigorous evaluation of judges who prioritize the safety of their organization and vested interests over the spirit of the Constitution.
When the judiciary loses the public's trust, it is a harbinger of the collapse of the national community's order. Paradoxically, the verdicts granting immunity to the 12.3 insurrectionists have become the spark that awakened the people's will for reform. The judiciary must not forget that if it fails to innovate itself, the sovereign people will directly judge its arrogance and self-righteousness. The currently boiling passion for reform is a historical mandate to restore judicial justice.
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