[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide----TURKEY

[Rick Halperin]

April 28


TURKEY:

Death penalty described as red line for Turkey


Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz says that for some European Union 
member states the last threshold to end membership talks with Turkey would be 
reinstatement of the death penalty by Ankara.

Kurz said at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Valletta, Malta that for 
Austria, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had already crossed many thresholds by 
jailing journalists and taking other repressive actions in the wake of a coup 
attempt last summer.

As such, he said, the EU's strategy to keep Turkey in the fold of acceptable 
democratic practices "was definitely not successful."

In the wake of a referendum victory expanding the powers of his office two 
weeks ago, Erdogan has been talking about reinstating of the death penalty. 
Capital punishment is barred in all EU nations.

(source: Associated Press)