It is not correct to make a hasty decision about the death penalty, but Turkey can not ignore the demands of its own people, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Monday.
Advertisement
And French foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said there were “suspicions” about whether Turkey was still a viable ally for the bloc, telling European Union leaders: “Let’s be honest about this”.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said: “We can not accept a military dictatorship but we also have to be careful that the Turkish authorities do not put in place a political system which turns away from democracy”.
While he recognised the need to apprehend the coup plotters, Mr Kerry said: “We caution against a reach that goes beyond that”.
Meanwhile, a group of servicemen announced about transition of power to them. That, Reynders said, “would pose a problem with Turkey’s ties with the European Union”. “Today, we will say together with the ministers that this obviously doesn’t mean that the rule of law and the system of checks and balances does not count”.
There were harsh words for Erdogan from Austria too, whose foreign minister described bringing back capital punishment as “absolutely unacceptable” in a country hoping to join the EU.
“Turkey is an important part of the Council of Europe and is bound by the European Convention on Human Rights, which is very clear on the death penalty”, she said. “So we will send a strong message”.
The top American diplomat said Turkey must “uphold the highest standards for the country’s democratic institutions and the rule of law”.
Advertisement
Talks of reintroducing the death penalty have revived in Turkey following a failed military coup attempt over the weekend, in which at least 290 people were killed.
