Abolishment Of Death Sentence In Crimes Of Terrorism

ANKARA (A.A) - 09.08.2002 - Files of those who were sentenced to death penalty on charges of crimes of terrorism will be taken up again after the abolishment of death sentence except for the ''crimes committed in times of war and situations of imminent war''.
After the European Union (EU) Adjustment Bill took effect today after being published in the official gazette, the process pertaining to those who were sentenced to death penalty on charges of crimes of terrorism started.
The bill lifted capital punishment for crimes of terrorism and commuted capital punishment to life imprisonment. Criminals of terrorism whose capital punishments are commuted to life imprisonment, cannot benefit from reduction in punishment and conditional release. Their imprisonment will continue till their death.
With the temporary article of the bill in question, files of those who were sentenced to death penalty on charges of crimes of terrorism that were sent and were about to be sent and the files waiting in the parliament will have priority.
There are currently 60 files waiting in the parliament pertaining to those who were sentenced on charges of Article 125 of the TCK that is about ''treachery to country''. Semdin Sakik, one of the leading members of the terrorist organization are among them. Also there are files of 16 people at the parliament who were sentenced to death penalty on charges of ''attempting to change constitutional order by force.''
Parliament will send files of those to concerned courts through the Prime Ministry and Justice Ministry.
File of Abdullah Ocalan, the head of the terrorist organization, will be sent to Ankara State Security Court (DGM) no:2 after Justice Ministry. The DGM will determine the conditions of the execution under the new law.
With the abolishment of death sentence, the obstacle in front of Turkey preventing extradition of those who Turkey wanted on charges of crimes of terrorism, is removed.
Justice Ministry will renew its calls for those who the European countries did not find appropriate to extradite them to Turkey because of existence of death sentence.
Turkey calls for extradition of Fehriye Erdal, suspect murder of businessman Ozdemir Sabanci, Dursun Karatas, one of the high level administrators of DHKP-C, and Metin Kaplan, known as ''Black Voice''.