- October 3

Turkish Parliament Passes Reforms

By SELCAN HACAOGLU,

 ANKARA, Turkey - Turkey's parliament passed a sweeping series of constitutional amendments Wednesday that would limit the death penalty and allow Kurdish broadcasts, moves aimed at bolstering the country's drive to join the European Union (news - web sites).

 Parliament voted 474-16 in favor of 34 changes to the constitution, which was drafted by the military after a 1980 coup.

 The amendments require presidential approval. After that, lawmakers must amend Turkey's civil and penal codes to reflect the changes. That process could take up to a year.

 The amendments are among reforms the EU called on Turkey to make.

 Although the amendments are a major step, many analysts were skeptical that the amended constitution would lead to dramatic changes.

 For example, Kurds would no longer be barred from broadcasting in Kurdish, but authorities can still ban Kurdish broadcasts for reasons of national security and public safety. Education in Kurdish will remain banned. The government does not recognize the country's 12 million Kurds as a minority.

 The death penalty will now be limited to acts of terrorism and treason, but almost all the prisoners on Turkey's death row were convicted of crimes related to terrorism. Fighting for a Kurdish state is considered an act of terrorism in Turkey.

 ``The amendments will only partially satisfy the EU,'' said Oya Akgonenc, a lawmaker from pro-Islamic Felicity Party. ``They are cosmetic changes and won't fool anyone.''

 The amendments also include removing legal barriers to public rallies, requiring court orders for searches of private property and making it more difficult to shut down political parties.

 Freedom of expression would be increased by the amendments. Under current laws, dozens of writers, intellectuals and human rights activists have been jailed for speaking out against the state or its fight against Kurdish rebels. The new amendments say that anti-state activities are a crime, but not statements.

 The amendments also aimed to reduce the influence of the military in the National Security Council, which groups the country's top military and civilian leaders and is the most powerful body in Turkey.

 The amendments would increase the number of civilians on the council from five to nine, while the number of generals will remain at five. The EU had repeatedly criticized the council, saying it is military-dominated and has too much influence on the government.

 Deputies rejected an amendment aimed at speeding up the process of lifting the legal immunity of lawmakers accused of crimes such as graft.