ANKARA, March 26 (A.A) - Parliamentary General Assembly adopted on Tuesday adjustment draft law comprised of nine articles which foresaw amendments to eight laws within the framework of adjustment to the European Union (EU).
The article states that only chief administrators could represent head officials.
The second article which is proposing changes in the Press Law was changed upon a proposal of the government. Crimes committed against Ataturk and his reforms were added to the article which listed the indivisible unity of the state and nation, national security, public order and protection of public morality. The article is about collecting publications and books that threaten the above mentioned values.
The printing machines and equipments could be confiscated if the publications consist a threat against the Turkish nation's and state's unity, the Republic's basic principles and national security.
The publishing house that prints the book through which a crime is committed may be closed from one to 15 days. Those who continue to print the book during this time will be sentenced to imprisonment terms from one to three months.
One of the articles states that the compansation fees given by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) for torture and mistreatment will be charged from the person who commits the crime rather than the Turkish state.
The law has brought forth a new regulation in Political Parties Law in parallel with the amendment to the Constitution which made closure of a party more difficult.
In accordance with this article, besides banning political parties, the parties can be punished by cutting the state assistance according to the importance of type of the crimes committed. This deduction will not be less than half of the amount of state assistance. The party will either be totally or partially deprived of the assistance. The political parties that take the whole of assistance before the punishment can be asked to return the amount subject to punishment to the Treasury.
The article of the Constitution regarding ''being a focus'' concept related with closure of political parties which had been amended was reflected to the Political Parties Law.
In accordance with the new arrangement, a political party will be considered as a focal point in case the actions which are considered as crime are committed intensively or decisively by the party organs or members and in case these actions are adopted clearly by the general congress, leader, decision making organs, or executive boards of that party or during the group meeting of that party at the parliament.
The Supreme Court Prosecutor's Office will follow and control the activities of the political parties.
The amendments to Associations Law provided everybody who are at the age of 18 and who are acquired with the requirements to establish associations. Those who commit crimes against the state and who are convicted of crimes like embezzlement, bribery, swindling, and robbery cannot establish associations although they benefit from amnesty.
Those who are convicted under the article 312 of Turkish Penal Code (TCK) which regulates the crime of ''provoking people to hatred and enmity by discriminating among them in respect of social, racial, linguistic, religious, regional and class differences'' cannot be founders of associations for 5 years.
The associations cannot use the emblem, sign or symbol of a banned political party or association or flag, emblem and signs of earlier established Turkish states.
In parallel with the amendment to Civil Law, the associations are ensured to form federations or confederations.
The associations can invite the members of associations in foreign countries on condition that they inform governor's offices beforehand. The associations can join the meetings of associations abroad.
The associations will carry out their official procedures in Turkish.
The law foresees amendments to Law on Meeting, Demonstration and Marches. Under this amendment, the age of organizing meetings is reduced from 21 to 18. A board comprised of at least 7 people can organize protest marches or meetings. People who have diplomatic immunity cannot be the head or member of the regulative board of meetings or demonstrations.
Authorized organs are charged to give a decision about the organization of meetings and protest marches of legal bodies like trade unions, associations, political parties.
Regional governor, governors and head officials can ban or postpone certain meetings for no later than two months in order to protect national security, public order, general health, general ethics, and rights and freedoms of others and to prevent crimes.
Regional governor is authorized to postpone any kind of meetings in cities and towns under his/her responsibility for three months under above mentioned reasons.
The law abolishes the article of the Press Law which said that punishments given to the responsible directors or those who permit the publication in case of publication of any news in a banned language, cannot be commuted to fine and the relevant people can be kept under detention in the police departments.
The adjustment law also lifts the article of the law on establishment and trial procedures of State Security Courts (DGMs) which limits the meetings between the suspect and his/her lawyer while abolishes the provisions of the Law on Meeting, Demonstration and Protest Marches that bans the organization of meetings and protest marches outside the purposes of vocational organizations.