Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said the...
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said the government aims to abolish the death penalty in 2002 as it strives to meet European Union standards
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said the government aims to abolish the death penalty in 2002 as it strives to meet European Union standards.
Turkey has not carried out any executions since the mid-1980s, but capital punishment remains on the statute books. The EU, which made Turkey a candidate in 1999, has said it expects abolition and other human rights reforms before accession talks can begin.
"Our goal is for the death penalty to be completely lifted from the penal code," Yilmaz, who oversees Turkey's relations with the EU, said in an interview with CNN Turk television.
Despite the moratorium, courts still regularly hand down the death penalty to Islamic radicals and leftist militants. Earlier in January three men convicted of murdering prominent supporters of Turkey's secular state were sentenced to death.
Turkey has not carried out any executions since the mid-1980s, but capital punishment remains on the statute books. The EU, which made Turkey a candidate in 1999, has said it expects abolition and other human rights reforms before accession talks can begin.
"Our goal is for the death penalty to be completely lifted from the penal code," Yilmaz, who oversees Turkey's relations with the EU, said in an interview with CNN Turk television.
Despite the moratorium, courts still regularly hand down the death penalty to Islamic radicals and leftist militants. Earlier in January three men convicted of murdering prominent supporters of Turkey's secular state were sentenced to death.
— SOURCES
- (Sources: Reuters, 20/01/2002)