Turkish minister: people endorse new security bill
Politics |
Interior minister says polls show 80% of public support draft security law which gives enhanced powers to police and modifies domestic security procedures
Recent polls suggest that 80% of the public support the new security bill that enhances the powers of law-enforcement officers and modifies domestic security procedures, Turkish Interior Minister Efkan Ala said Wednesday.
"There is great public support for the draft security law. Polls show that 80% of the people approve the new bill," Ala told The Anadolu Agency, where he attended the AA Editor's Desk meeting.
Discussions on the bill, which was approved by the internal affairs commission of the Turkish parliament on Jan. 22, are expected to start in parliament next week.
Ala said that the bill was already anticipated by the Turkish people as "they all know what happened during the Gezi Park protests, and at other times," referring to the protests in summer 2013 when the Istanbul municipality attempted to remove a number of trees in a green space in the city center as part of a redevelopment project.
What began as a seemingly environmentalist movement, with concerned Istanbulites numbering in the dozens occupying Gezi Park to prevent the removal of trees, soon mushroomed into a nationwide wave of protests against the government.
The minister also dismissed criticisms against the bill, saying "the arguments are not based on research."
The bill was first submitted to the commission in November last year in the wake of last October's protests in the country that resulted in the deaths of dozens of Turkish citizens.
The proposed legislation outlaws possession of fireworks, Molotov cocktails and slingshots during protests. Protesters who cover their faces in demonstrations that take a pro-terrorism tone can now face imprisonment for up to five years.
The bill also gives police enhanced powers to act preemptively in carrying out raids based on intelligence of possible criminal activity. Police will now be authorized to use firearms against those who attack schools, public offices or places of worship with firearms, explosives or other weapons.
Officers will also be able to search a person, their belongings or private vehicles based on oral instructions by police chiefs. The person being searched will be informed of the rationale behind the procedure.
In cases that cause uproar in society -- such as manslaughter, trafficking or sexual abuse -- Turkish police will have the authority to hold a suspect under custody for 24 hours with the approval of the public prosecutor or the deputy governor and under supervision of their superior officers.
With the new law, all transactions involving the bonsai -- a cheap, addictive and potent form of a marijuana-like substance -- will be considered as illegal as conducting deals for other drugs.
The bill also says the interior minister will have the power to appoint junior commanders in Turkey's General Command of the Gendarmerie -- the country's paramilitary force -- and the Coast Guard except for admirals in the Coast Guard and generals in the gendarmerie force.
Anadolu Agency
"There is great public support for the draft security law. Polls show that 80% of the people approve the new bill," Ala told The Anadolu Agency, where he attended the AA Editor's Desk meeting.
Discussions on the bill, which was approved by the internal affairs commission of the Turkish parliament on Jan. 22, are expected to start in parliament next week.
Ala said that the bill was already anticipated by the Turkish people as "they all know what happened during the Gezi Park protests, and at other times," referring to the protests in summer 2013 when the Istanbul municipality attempted to remove a number of trees in a green space in the city center as part of a redevelopment project.
What began as a seemingly environmentalist movement, with concerned Istanbulites numbering in the dozens occupying Gezi Park to prevent the removal of trees, soon mushroomed into a nationwide wave of protests against the government.
The minister also dismissed criticisms against the bill, saying "the arguments are not based on research."
The bill was first submitted to the commission in November last year in the wake of last October's protests in the country that resulted in the deaths of dozens of Turkish citizens.
The proposed legislation outlaws possession of fireworks, Molotov cocktails and slingshots during protests. Protesters who cover their faces in demonstrations that take a pro-terrorism tone can now face imprisonment for up to five years.
The bill also gives police enhanced powers to act preemptively in carrying out raids based on intelligence of possible criminal activity. Police will now be authorized to use firearms against those who attack schools, public offices or places of worship with firearms, explosives or other weapons.
Officers will also be able to search a person, their belongings or private vehicles based on oral instructions by police chiefs. The person being searched will be informed of the rationale behind the procedure.
In cases that cause uproar in society -- such as manslaughter, trafficking or sexual abuse -- Turkish police will have the authority to hold a suspect under custody for 24 hours with the approval of the public prosecutor or the deputy governor and under supervision of their superior officers.
With the new law, all transactions involving the bonsai -- a cheap, addictive and potent form of a marijuana-like substance -- will be considered as illegal as conducting deals for other drugs.
The bill also says the interior minister will have the power to appoint junior commanders in Turkey's General Command of the Gendarmerie -- the country's paramilitary force -- and the Coast Guard except for admirals in the Coast Guard and generals in the gendarmerie force.
Anadolu Agency
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