Turkish Minister for EU Affairs Volkan Bozkir

TURKEY: EU AFFAIRS MINISTER REFUSES RETURN OF DEATH PENALTY

February 16, 2015: Personal feelings and the reactions of a state should be separate, Turkey's EU affairs minister said regarding the murder of a 20-year-old female university student in the southern province of Mersin.  Discussions of a death sentence came into the spotlight, after the murder of Ozgecan Aslan, who was killed and burned after reportedly resisting sexual assault in Mersin's Tarsus district on February 13. "When considering the death penalty, I think it would be necessary to assess the issue in a much more healthy environment rather the mentality we are in currently," said Volkan Bozkir in Ankara.  However, Bozkir added "If something like this happened to my daughter, I would take a weapon and give the punishment myself and then bear the penalty but, states should not react this way." He said killing people is not right for states. The job of states is to arrest the guilty and give them the most severe punishment they deserve. States must act within the framework of justice towards everyone. "I think the implementation of aggravated life imprisonment would be more appropriate instead of the death penalty for such crimes," added Bozkir. Aslan went missing on Wednesday (February 11); her charred body was found in a riverbed on February 13. Three suspects were arrested on February 15 in connection with the murder which has shocked the country. Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci called for reinstatement of death penalty in the wake of cruel murder of Ozgecan Aslan, Turkey’s BGN newspaper said February 15. “We need to delicately discuss bringing back the death penalty for murders that slay human decency itself like that of Ozgecan Aslan,” the newspaper cited Zeybekci as saying during a press conference. The minister stressed it was his personal opinion and urged Turkish parliament to discuss the issue.
“I personally believe that Turkey should be able to administer the necessary penalty for crimes such as this that are a crime against humanity and an affront to the nation and to humanity itself,” Zeybekci added. (Sources: aa.com.tr, 16/02/2015; Sputnik, 15/02/2015)