Erdoğan's ally says Turkey should urgently introduce death penalty

Photo: AA

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Turkey should take "permanent and rooted" measures, including introducing the death penalty, for a number of crimes, according to Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chair Devlet Bahçeli.

Releasing a written statement today (September 2), Bahçeli noted that there has been an increase in cases of violence, homicide, harassment and rape and said that "the legal, administrative, sociological, psychological and spiritual measures" should be taken immediately.

"The inclusion of the death penalty in our legal legislation can deter the commitment of heinous and primitive crimes," said Bahçeli, an ally of President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has been advocating the reintroduction of the death penalty since the failed coup attempt in July 2016.

Bahçeli suggested that the reintroduction of the death penalty for sexual abuse of children and crimes against sexual immunity as per Article 103 of the Turkish Penal Code and attempting to overthrow the constitutional order through force and violence as per Article 309.

With the Law no. 5170 enacted on May 7, 2004, Turkey removed the Constitution's articles related to the death penalty. On July 14, 2004, this was followed by Law No. 5218, which removed the Turkish Penal Code articles related to the death penalty.

In 2002, the government passed a law converting death penalties that had not been executed until that time to aggravated life sentences.

The last death penalty in Turkey was executed in October 1984. (AS/VK)