Capital punishment in Turkey

A Turkish court on June 20 handed down aggravated life sentences to scores of convicts for their involvement in the defeated 2016 coup in Turkey, according to judicial sources.         

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has once again brought up the issue of restoring the death penalty, vowing to approve such legislation if parliament passes it.

People gathered on May 6 in Ankara's Karşıyaka Cemetery to commemorate Deniz Gezmiş, Yusuf Aslan and Hüseyin İnan, three student leaders executed in 1972 for attempting to overthrow the constitutional order, on the 46th anniversary of their death.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım arrived in the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar early on April 6 for a two-day visit.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım will pay a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh on Dec. 27, a Prime Ministry official said on Dec. 24.

A Turkish prosecutor has recommended aggravated life sentences for a total of 60 people involved in the 1997 military memorandum, also known as the postmodern coup.

Germany cannot let Turkish expats vote for a potential referendum on reinstating capital punishment in Turkey, the chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) Martin Schulz has said.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's remarks over reinstating capital punishment following the approval of constitutional amendments in the April 16 referendum has triggered a fresh debate, collecting warnings from European allies.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Saturday said he expected parliament to approve restoring capital punishment after the April 16 referendum on expanding its powers, a move that could terminate Ankara's bid to join the EU, according to Agence France-Presse.

Turkey could head to yet another referendum to decide on whether to restore capital punishment if parliament disapproves of the change, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Feb. 24.