Turkey’s Ruling Party Reverses Decision to Drop Proposal Criminalizing Adultery
Despite earlier statements that it was abandoning its plan to criminalize adultery, Turkey’s Islamic dominated ruling party is now planning to move forward with its plan to criminalize adultery. Just this past week, the plan to amend the Penal Code to make adultery a crime was dropped following a global outcry from women’s groups and opposition from Turkey’s Republican People’s Party and the European Union, reports the Associated Press.
When the plan was initially introduced, over 500 mostly female demonstrators including representatives of human rights and gay rights groups marched on parliament. Leaders of the European Union (EU) warned Turkey that this plan could impact its efforts to enter the EU as a decision will be announced on October 6, 2004 whether the EU will open entry talks with the Turkish government, reports Reuters. The proposal also still faces resistance from opposition members in the parliament. According to the Associated Press, Ali Topuz, a senior member of the opposition has said that he and others opposing this measure will walk out of the parliament if it is introduced.
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