International
0

Turkey May Hold Referendum Over Death Penalty

Turkey May Hold Referendum Over Death Penalty
Turkey May Hold Referendum Over Death Penalty

Turkey may seek to reinstate death penalty, as there is public demand for it, the country’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday.

He added that the government has been seeking to bring back capital punishment since the July 2015 coup attempt.

“The [public] demand for reinstatement of capital punishment will be brought to parliament. I wish that the moment it is passed by parliament, I could approve it. But there is a problem, it requires a constitutional amendment. The 16th of the month [April] will be an answer to this. If necessary, we can hold a new referendum on this [reintroduction of capital punishment],” Erdogan said, as quoted by the Turkish Minute media outlet, Sputnik reported.

The death penalty was banned in Turkey in 2004 as part of Turkey’s attempt to get closer to the European Union. However, after a July attempted coup in Turkey, government allies started calling for the reinstatement of the death penalty.

EU officials slammed the possible move, saying it would undermine Turkey’s EU accession bid.

Add new comment

Read our comment policy before posting your viewpoints

Financialtribune.com