PARLIAMENTARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY APPROVES ARTICLE ONE ON ''EQUALITY BEFORE LAW''
ANKARA - The Turkish Parliamentary General Assembly approved on Tuesday the constitutional amendments package's Article 1 on ''equality before the law''.
In secret vote, 501 MPs of the 550-seat parliament cast their votes. The amendment was approved by 485 votes against 12 votes. There were 2 abstaining and 2 blank votes.
Under the amendment, expression saying ''woman and man have equal rights'' was added to the Constitution's Article 10 on ''Equality Before the Law''.
PARLIAMENTARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY APPROVES ARTICLE TWO ON ''SUSPENSION OF EXERCISE OF FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS''
In secret vote, 501 MPs of the 550-seat parliament cast their votes. The amendment was approved by 491 votes against 6 votes. There were 1 abstaining and 3 blank votes.
Under the amendment, expression saying ''execution of death sentence'' was excluded from the Constitution's Article 15 on ''Suspension of the Exercise of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms''.
PARLIAMENTARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY APPROVES ARTICLE THREE ON ''PERSONAL INVIOLABILITY, MATERIAL AND SPIRITUAL ENTITY OF INDIVIDUAL''
In secret vote, 467 MPs of the 550-seat parliament cast their votes. The amendment was approved by 456 votes against 3 votes. There were 8 blank votes.
Under the amendment, expression saying ''in case of fulfillment of death sentences ruled out by courts...'' was excluded from the Constitution's Article 17 on ''Personal Inviolability, Material and Spiritual Entity of the individual''.
PARLIAMENTARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY APPROVES ARTICLE FOUR ON ''PROTECTION OF PRINTING FACILITIES''
In secret vote, 451 MPs of the 550-seat parliament cast their votes. The amendment was approved by 448 votes against 3 votes.
Under the amendment, the Constitution's Article 30 on ''Protection of Printing Facilities'' was amended as ''a printing press or its annexes duly established as a publishing house under law shall not be seized, confiscated, or barred from operation on the grounds of being an instrument of crime.''
Article 30 of the Constitution earlier said, ''a printing press or its annexes duly established as a publishing house under law shall not be seized, confiscated, or barred from operation on the grounds of being an instrument of crime, except in cases where it is convicted of offences against the indivisible integrity of the State with its territory and nation, against the fundamental principles of the Republic or against national security.''
PARLIAMENTARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY APPROVES ARTICLE FIVE ON ''PRINCIPLES RELATING TO OFFENCES AND PENALTIES''
In secret vote, 435 MPs of the 550-seat parliament cast their votes. The amendment was approved by 429 votes against 4 votes. There were 2 blank votes.
Under the amendment, the Constitution's Article 38 on ''Principles Relating to Offences and Penalties'' was changed by correcting expression saying ''general confiscation shall not be imposed as a penalty'' as ''death sentence and general confiscation shall not be imposed as a penalty''.
Also, expression in the same article saying ''no citizen shall be extradited to a foreign country on account of an offence'' was changed as ''no citizen shall be extradited to a foreign country on account of an offence except for commitments stemming from Turkey's signing the International Court of Justice''.
The package envisaging amendments to ten articles of the Constitution was submitted to the Turkish parliament after it had been signed by 198 deputies of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) on April 28, 2004.
Turkey signed the Appendix Protocol no: 13 of the European Convention for Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. The reform package aims to adapt Turkey to new democratic initiatives in the world, and to increase fundamental rights and freedoms to the level of universally accepted standards and norms and of the European Union criteria.
The package envisages amendments to articles 10, 15, 17, 30, 38, 87, 90, 131, 143 and 160 of the Constitution.
(MS) 04.05.2004