receptive to the idea that the coup was staged.

the Nationalist Movement Party, says

that if the AK Party proposes to introduce death penalty for coup initiators, his party is ready to support it.

http://www.dailysabah.com/politics/2016/07/19/gulenist-coup-perpetrators-no-different-than-daesh-pkk-terror-organizations-mhps-bahceli-says

It's at the very bottom of the linked article.

If they reintroduce the death penalty, Turkey can kiss it's EU membership aspirations goodbye. It'll disappear like a fart in the wind. The death penalty is an absolute red line for the EU, no ifs, ands or buts.

The EU is already warning Turkey of the consequences; I think Erdogan simply doesn't care at this point. He was always rather lukewarm on the prospect of Turkey being an EU member state. That was more the project of former President Abdullah Gül and former Foreign Minister (and later PM) Ahmet Davutoglu.

EDIT: I wanted to add that even the EU/Turkey visa-free travel deal may now be in doubt as the result of Erdogan's crackdown.

European Commissioner Guenther Oettinger has said he did not see the European Union granting Turks visa-free travel this year - as agreed in a migration deal - due to Ankara's crackdown after a failed military coup.

"The draft law (on ending visa requirements for Turks) is being debated in the European Parliament right now," Oettinger, commissioner for digital economy and society, told several regional German newspapers in an interview published on Tuesday.

"But I predict that we won't have regulation on visa-free travel before the end of the year," said Oettinger, an ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the key driving force behind the migration deal with Turkey.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan must address the EU's concerns regarding the principle of the rule of law, he said, adding: "And that's not what it's looking like at the moment."

http://m.todayonline.com/world/eus-oettinger-says-turkey-wont-get-visa-free-travel-year

To be fair, Turkey was never really welcomed into the EU with open arms, especially by the likes of France. Turkey could have been Europe's liaison between it and the Islamic world, but no, so let us be fair and avoid reaching for the usual memes that are spiked with Islamophobia. Turkey has been part of Europe; they even found Troy there.

BUT, this does nto mean we are not being taken for fools. Edrogan is flirting with Isis, because we were flirting with the Kurds, as in, the people who used to run this part of the world before we took it away from them. Edrogan knows he is between the eagle, the bear, and for that matter, the islamic Lion, so he will play everyone against each other. However, the man whose son got caught selling isis made oil (as in the money used to fund terror attacks) is not a friend.

The EU has said, that Turkey will not become EU-member if it has death-penalty.

Erdogan will institute death-penalty and then he will demand from the EU a favor in return for getting rid of the death-penalty.

before this coup, and now are completely non-existent. The possibility was exaggerated and used as a scare tactic by the Brexiters.

It may be that he realizes that Turkey won't be accepted in the EU, and as a result is thumbing his nose at the EU: 'you don't want me; fine; I'll be the tough guy without you!' But even apart from relations with the EU and other countries, I think, sadly, that he really does want the DP. He is getting more and more authoritarian over time.

Last edited Mon Aug 1, 2016, 05:10 AM - Edit history (1)

And why would he wish, in such respects, to emulate a non-democratic super-authoritarian country like China, or an authoritarian 'paper democracy' like Russia (which is anything but crime-free, DP or not)? And it's not just the EU countries that have abolished the DP: Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Nicaragua, Uruguay, South Africa and many other African countries, etc. etc.

I am glad that a military junta did not gain power in Turkey, but if Erdogan turns his own government into something like a military junta, it won't be any different.

ETA: is he even accurate about Russia having the DP? They definitely haven't used it in a long time, despite their general authoritarianism.

Or in Canada, or Australia, or New Zealand, or all of Latin America and South America. Of 195 UN member or observer states, 37 retain capital punishment in law and practice; the rest have not had any executions in at least ten years, or have abolished capital punishment for all crimes except war crimes and treason or have abolished it altogether.

RED - Death Penalty is legal and used. US, China, Japan, Egypt, Iran, Libya, India, Pakistan,Sudan, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Indonesia, Iraq,Syria, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia etc. 36 Nations, 18% of all nations.

Dark Blue: No Death penalty (EU, Russia, Australia, Argentina, Venezuela, Columbia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Mexico, South Africa, Namibia, Angola, Mozambique etc) 103 countries, 53% of all countries

Light Brown, Death Penalty is on the books, but none given in decades, Cuba, Laos, Algeria, Congo,Tanzania most of the West Indies, most of Africa etc. 50 counties, 26% of all Countries.

Light Green - Death penalty only for War Crimes, Brazil, Israel, Kazakhstan, Peru, Chile, Haiti (Only six Nations, 3% of all nations)

watch then as world opinion turns on him.

tin pot hitler.

AFP news agencyVerified account
?@AFP
#BREAKING Turkey suspends 15,000 state education employees after coup: ministry

https://twitter.com/AFP/status/755398226048643072?lang=en-gb


The Associated PressVerified account
?@AP
BREAKING: Turkey's state media says ministry of education sacks 15,200 for alleged ties to group govt blames for failed coup.


Mark LowenVerified account
?@marklowen
#Turkey state TV: government has requested resignation of all 1577 university deans in the country

https://twitter.com/marklowen/status/755402385065934850?lang=en-gb

(BBC Turkey correspondent)