Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stated that capital punishment could be restored in the country if a corresponding law is adopted by the Turkish parliament.
"You know that we are very sensitive on this issue. If the law passes parliament, then I will ratify it, because we know the position of the killers. We know that they must pay the price for committing atrocities," Erdogan told NTV broadcaster.
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Last year, a debate in Turkey on the reintroduction of the death penalty for crimes of terrorism or high treason triggered a firm rebuke from European institutions. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker stressed that the move would end negotiations concerning Turkish membership of the European Union. Erdogan offered to solve the problem via a referendum but later ditched the idea.
Discussions on the issue were prompted by an attempted military coup in 2016, which led to harsh security policies, including mass detentions of the alleged conspirators.