ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A bill to release nearly a third of prisoners in Turkey in the face of the coronavirus pandemic is being debated in parliament, facing large push-back from opposition parties for its exclusion of political prisoners, activists and journalists. Drafted by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its far-right ally, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), the bill debated across Tuesday and Wednesday seeks to relieve overcrowded prisons amid the threat of contagion by releasing 90,000 inmates. However, opposition parties criticize the piece of draft legislation, saying rapists, domestic abusers, and drug dealers should not benefit from the deal, while those imprisoned on controversial terrorism charges languish in prison. The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) has strongly opposed the bill, with thousands of members and politicians behind bars - mostly accused of having ties with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), an armed group fighting for Kurdish cultural and political rights in Turkey. HDP deputies protested the bill on its first session on Tuesday, calling for equality in who the bill applies to and raising signs with slogans like "corona[virus] doesn't discriminate against prisoners.” The HDP released a joint statement, alongside ten smaller parties on Monday, claiming the rights of the opposition have been “violated” in this new bill. “The rights of the opposition members are openly violated. This government is discriminatory. The imprisoned politicians, former members of parliament, mayors, journalists, academics, students and citizens, who have simply used their freedom of expression on social media are excluded from this legislation,” reads the statement. According to the statement, 282,703 people have been jailed across Turkey in 355 prisons. They say that the exclusion of political prisoners is “unacceptable”, while “thieves, corrupt people, the mafia, drug dealers, people who commit violence against women, those who rape and abuse children can benefit from the law.” Ozgur Ozel, a deputy of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) also criticized the bill for who it benefits. “This cannot be accepted. We will go through a period in which human rights activists, writers, journalists and politicians will continue to stay in jail for just speaking out their minds, for their writings and thoughts, whereas hijackers, gang members and swindlers will be outside free. There is no conscience and equality in this,” Ozel told reporters on April 7, according to Bianet. Meral Aksener, leader of the opposition IYI Party, also rejected the bill, saying releasing rapists is a red line for them. The bill “offers a discount to child abusers, those who commit violence against women, and drug dealers. These are our red lines,” she tweeted on April 3. Turkey remains among the top jailers of journalists, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). CPJ criticized the bill on Tuesday, saying it is “unacceptable” to exclude journalists from the amnesty. “It is unacceptable that Turkey aims to release about a third of its overcrowded prison population but leave journalists behind bars during a global pandemic,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator. “Turkish authorities must swiftly redraft their amnesty bill and ensure that journalists, who are held as political prisoners on false ‘terrorism’ charges, will be released,” she added. At least 47 journalists were jailed as of CPJ’s December prison census - all held on terror-related charges.
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