Leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Devlet Bahçeli has called on the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to speed up plans to reintroduce the death penalty, saying that his party is ready to give unconditional support to the move.
The AKP government has been considering reinstating capital punishment since a failed coup attempt on July 15.
Speaking at his party’s parliamentary group meeting on Tuesday, Bahçeli recalled remarks by a military officer who admitted taking part in the coup attempt at his trial on Monday.
The military officer said in remarks that found extensive coverage in the Turkish media: “I staged a coup. Even if the punishment for this is the death penalty, it won’t hurt me.”
Bahçeli said when heinous coup plotters have no fears about the death penalty and the nation insists on its reintroduction, the AKP should not play games and waste time.
“If their aim is really to reintroduce the death penalty, we will give them unconditional support,” Bahçeli said.
Turkey has been officially negotiating as a candidate country with the EU since 2005 and abolished capital punishment in 2004 as part of EU reforms.