TURKEY: Turkey Sees End to Death Penalty

JANUARY 20, 2002

Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said Sunday that Turkey aimed to abolish the death penalty this year as it strives to meet European Union standards.

Turkey has not carried out any executions since the mid-1980s, but capital punishment remains on the statute books. The EU, which made Turkey a candidate in 1999, has said it expects abolition of the penalty and other human rights reforms before accession talks can begin.

"Our goal is for the death penalty to be completely lifted from the penal code," Mr. Yilmaz, who oversees Turkey's relations with the EU, said in a TV interview.