Bekir Bozdağ

Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım has vowed there will be "consequences" for social media users who post in support of terror early on Jan. 2, following the Reina nightclub attack in Istanbul that killed 39 people and wounded 65, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported. 

A deputy from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) has asked in a parliamentary question why the canteen manager of the daily Cumhuriyet was arrested after he allegedly said he would not serve tea to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan if he came to the newspaper's offices. 

The head of Turkey's main opposition party has called on all politicians, especially political leaders, to reveal their wealth in either Turkish Lira or foreign currency, noting that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's request that Turkish citizens convert their foreign exchange into liras or gold could not exclude anyone. 

The government has withdrawn its highly controversial proposal which amounted to giving amnesty to the statutory rapists of minors after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan intervened to quash it. Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ says the topic is closed and clearly wants the heated discussions it generated to end. 

A parliamentary commission abolished a contentious motion regarding the sex abuse of minors on Nov. 23 following strong reaction from opposition parties and many non-governmental organizations. 
Speaking at a commission meeting on Nov. 23, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ said a specific clause in the 48-item regulation did not include amnesty to "even a single rapist."

The Turkish government abolished a controversial motion on the sexual abuse of minors on Nov. 23, a day after Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım announced the withdrawal of the bill.

Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ made a short speech on the bill ahead of a Justice Commission meeting in parliament, stating that the government had failed to explain the context of the motion.

If you have been following Turkish news, the odd question in my headline might have occurred to you.  My short answer is: No, the government's intention with a new law it tried to pass last Thursday was not quite that horrific. But it still was a horrific motion, to which millions of citizens, even some government supporters, rightfully objected.

Turkey is not only going backward in leaps and bounds in terms of all the social gains secured under its secular republic, but has also started taking a step toward the primitive. It is mind-boggling that a government can even think of coming up with legislation that will allow men who rape minors to escape punishment if they marry the child they raped.

Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ has said the controversial parliamentary motion aiming to change the current child abuse law, introduced by ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputies, was designed to address problems stemming from "realities" in some parts of Turkey. 

Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım has ordered his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to talk to the opposition parties regarding the controversial sexual abuse draft, which is postponed in parliament to Nov. 22.

The prime minister's remarks came almost one hour after Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ spoke to the press to justify the draft.