ANKARA - The General Assembly of the Parliament started debating the bill on criminal execution yesterday. While the HDP protested the bill with banners “Equal execution keeps alive” and “Corona doesn’t discriminate prisoners,” the session is adjourned to today.
The General Assembly of the Parliament started debating the bill on criminal enforcement in its Parliamentary session yesterday (April 7).
Drafted by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and allying Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), the "The Bill of Law Foreseeing Amendments to the Law no. 2/2762 on the Execution of Sentences and Security Measures and Some Laws" has been protested by the MPs of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) during the session.
The HDP MPs protested the bill by opening the banners that read, "Equal execution keeps one alive", "Corona doesn't discriminate prisoners" and "Equality in execution, justice for everyone."
The Parliamentary session ended at 9.27 p.m. yesterday. The General Assembly will convene again at 2 p.m. today (April 8).
DANIŞ-BEŞTAŞ: IT IS AGAINST INTERNAL REGULATION
Speaking at the Parliamentary session, HDP Group Deputy Chair Meral Danış-Beştaş stated that the Parliamentary debates on the bill were against the internal regulation of the Parliament on procedural grounds and requested that a debate be held regarding the procedure.
Noting the the bill foresaw the release of 90 thousand people from prison, Danış-Beştaş briefly stated the following:
"You have brought up the release of the ones supporting you in such a period. A three-fifths majority has to be sought for this reason.
"When we talk about the justice of execution, the relation between crime and punishment and methods of criminal execution must not be confused.
"Here, you foresee three regimes as to serving of sentence. Excluding political prisoners by three fourths, you are setting a new regime. As per the Constitution and internal regulation, it needs to be sought here as the bill has the characteristics of a pardon."
TEZCAN: 'IT'S A PARDON'
Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) MP Bülent Tezcan also underlined that the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) made a differentiation between amnesty, or general pardon, and pardon:
"Everyone knows that it is a pardon, but it is insistently said that 'it is not an amnesty, but a bill on criminal execution.' You are trying to sell it to us.
"A mindset that does not pardon political prisoners and says that they can die of corona in prison or wherever they like is now striving to easily release the rapists, gang leaders and, I don't know who else."