Statement on Bill of Criminal Enforcement by Opposition Parties

* Photo: Anadolu Agency (AA)

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11 political parties, including Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), have made a joint statement about the legislative proposal on criminal enforcement to be debated at the General Assembly of the Parliament today (April 7).

Expressing their demand for equality in the law on criminal enforcement, the parties have underlined that, in its current form, the draft law has nothing to do with universal legal norms, human rights or democratic criteria.

The joint statement has been signed by following political parties: Democratic Regions Party (DBP), Revolutionary Party, Labor Party (EMEP), Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP), Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), SODAP, Left Party, Socialist Party of Refoundation, Workers Party of Turkey, Communist Party of Turkey and Green Left Party.

"The Bill of Law Foreseeing Amendments to the Law no. 2/2762 on the Execution of Sentences and Security Measures and Some Laws" was approved by the Parliamentary Justice Commission on April 3.

CLICK - HDP Objects to Bill on Criminal Enforcement

'Dissidents excluded from the bill'

In their joint statement, the parties have referred to the inequalities in the bill of law regarding the supervised release:

"The right to health and life of people arrested and convicted in prisons is under the guarantee of the state and government. However, this bill has revealed that the AKP-MHP block* only cares about the right to life and health of the ones close to itself. The right to life and health of the ones standing in opposition to it is openly violated.

"The politicians, former MPs, mayors, journalists and academics arrested or convicted due to their political stances and citizens and students who used their freedom of thought and expression with their social media messages are excluded from this bill. The government is disregarding the right to life of the ones standing in opposition to itself.

'We won't accept this inhuman discrimination'

"The political arrestees and convicts, the dissidents put behind bars by the biased judiciary which is dependent on the government are not let to benefit from this bill, which does not conform to the universal rules of law or to the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights (ECTHR) and Constitutional Court.

"A bill that will be benefited by thieves, bribe-takers and the mafia excludes the ones who are only in opposition to the government and used their freedom of thought and expression.

"We will never accept the exclusion of the arrested and convicted due to their oppositional stance, we will never accept this inhuman discrimination.

"We are calling on law and human rights organizations and institutions, opposition political parties, all segments of the social opposition, unions, associations, professional organizations and all conscientious citizens to raise their voices against this bill and against the discriminating and inhuman attitude of the government." (AS/SD)

* Ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP)