BARTIN, March 24 (A.A) - Justice Minister Hikmet Sami Turk has said that a solution would be brought to Turkey's capital punishment problem over the next three years.
Turk said that Turkey still keeps the capital punishment in its law although it hasn't been practiced for a long time.
''A solution will be brought to capital punishment in the next three years. The European Convention of Human Rights had an exception for war crimes but now they are discussing to lift this exception. Turkey cannot remain outside these discussions because it wants to join the EU. The existence of capital punishment in the Turkish law prevent the return of certain criminals to Turkey and this is a negative factor in Turkey's fight with criminals,'' Turk explained.
Speaking about F type prisons, Turk stressed that inmates were not isolated in these prisons. ''Inmates in F type prisons work in outdoors and exercise in sports halls. They can speak with their relatives on the phone for ten minutes every week. Forming idelogical camps in wards have become impossible. Hunger strikes and death fasts started to prevent this and death strikes are currently continuing in nine prisons. But the number of death fasters decreased from 150 to 73 over the last month as inmates and their families become more aware of certain things,'' he said.