Venice Commission to look at shortcomings in Turkey's domestic security package: PACE President

Turkey?s controversial new domestic security package ?is unacceptable,? Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) President Anne Brasseur has said, adding that the Venice Commission plans to examine the law in detail after Turkey?s upcoming election.

?If you use all those restrictive measures taken by individual countries and put them together then you get the new law here in Turkey. They have taken the most restrictive practices,? Brasseur said on April 9, speaking at a meeting with a group of journalists from the Diplomacy Correspondents Association (DMD). 

The protection of a country for its national security ?cannot go as far as limiting all words of freedoms. There is a very big danger,? she said, elaborating on her discussions with Turkish officials including President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an.

?In the election period and after elections we have to look at that law. The Council of Europe has the Venice Commission as an instrument to monitor legislation. For the security package, Turkey did not ask for the opinion of the Venice Commission, but I think that we have to look deeper into it. We must maintain fundamental freedoms,? Brasseur stated, adding that she had also discussed a number of other shortcomings in Turkey such as freedom of the media and incomplete implementation of ECHR rulings.

Describing the 10 percent electoral threshold as ?too high,? Brasseur said she felt that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) ?does not want to change it, although the Council of Europe has requested it a number of times.?

The PACE president said coalition governments worked efficiently in many countries, and a similar government could emerge if the Peoples? Democratic Party (HDP) is able to pass the 10...