ANKARA (A.A) - 27.04.2002 - President Ahmet Necdet Sezer on Saturday returned the new law re-arranging some articles of the law on conditional release from prison and suspension of punishments for crimes committed till April 23, 1999, to the Parliament to be debated again.
Presidential Press Center issued a statement and said Sezer in his decision for return of the law said paragraphs (2), (4) and (9) of the Article 1 of the law re-arranging some articles of the law on conditional release from prison and suspension of punishments for crimes committed till April 23, 1999, were re-arranged in line with the Constitutional Court's decision to annul these articles.
Sezer said the most important elements of conditional release is that some of the punishments should be served in prison, and that the criminal should show good conduct within that period. Release of those, who are sentenced to imprisonment terms up to 10 years on charges of punishments restricting personal liberty, show that this arrangement is not conditional release.
Sezer said under Article 98 of the Turkish Penal Code, this law has the quality of a mass special amnesty.
President Sezer said the law should be evaluated with respect to Article 87 of the Constitution.
Sezer said the bill passed with a majority but not with 60 percent of
parliament which he stressed was constitutionally necessary for a special amnesty.
Sezer said he returned the law to be debated in the Parliament once again.