The parliament replaced death penalty with life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Capital punishment will only be effective during times of war.
The "EU"-reforms passed by the parliament also removes certain restrictions on the right to associate and form civic organizations, and imposes stricter penalties for human trafficking. It also allows non-Muslim minorities such as Greeks, Armenians and Jews greater rights over religious property.
Executions
According to Prof. Dr. Semih Gemalmaz' book, "Capital Punishment in Turkey 1920-2000," a total of 712 people have been executed during the years of 1920-1984. 15 of those were women.
Most of the 712 people executed were between the ages of 20-30.
However, this number does not represent the people who were executed with the decision of the "Special Independence Courts" set up during the Turkish War of Independence, which are independent of the Turkish Grand National Assembly .
These courts, which were initially set up against reactionary actions in 1925, are said to have sentenced at least 1500 people to death.
There still are 125 people on the death row. The trials of another 1500 continue, and they all face capital punishment at the moment.
Menemen and Espionage
37 people, who were believed to have involvement in the assassination of supplementary lieutenant Kubilay on December 23, 1930, were sentenced to death. The parliament approved the death sentences for the 28.
In the history of the Turkish republic, the only execution for charges of espionage took place in 1949. Aram Sanesyan, who was determined to be working for the Soviet Union, was executed.
Menderes, Polatkan, Zorlu
Adnan Menderes, who had been the prime minister of Turkey for 10 years, Fatin Rustu Zorlu, the foreign minister, and Hasan Polatkan, the treasury minister, were executed in September 16 and 17, 1961.
Aydemir and Gurcan
On July 5, 1964, two soldiers, Land Warfare School Commander Talat Aydemir and Cavalry Regiment Commander Fethi Gurcan were executed because they had allegedly attempted to organize a coup with the aim of taking over the government.
Gezmis, Aslan, Inan
Deniz Gezmis, Yusuf Aslan and Huseyin Inan, members of the Turkish People's Liberation Army (THKO), were executed on May 6, 1972..
September 12, 1980 Military Takeover
The first person to be executed after the coup in September 12, 1980, was Necdet Adali, a member of the Kurtulus (Liberation) group. Hidir Arslan, member of the outlawed Marxist group Devrimci Yol (Revolutionary Path), was executed in October 1984, and became the last execution during the September 12 period.
50 people were executed between the years 1980-84. 18 of these were leftist, eight were rightists and 23 were convicted of legal crimes.
Levon Ekmekciyan, one of the people who were executed, was a member of ASALA. (Esenboga Incident 1982)
During the September 12 period, the military courts set up by martial law, sentenced 517 people to death. Military Supreme Court of Appeals approved 124 of these death sentences. The death sentences for all, except 50, were commuted to life in prison.
Nobody has been executed since 1984 in Turkey.
Execution by years
Between the years 1922 and 1931, the year of the Menemen incident, 150 people were executed. In this period, 1923 was the year of least executions with only three, and 1931 was the year of most executions with 53
executions.
Between the years 1932 and 1937, 95 people were executed. There was only one execution in 1932, and 11 of the executed in 1937 were involved in the "Dersim incidents."
Between the years 1937 and 1950, 220 people were executed. 43 people were executed between the years 1951 and 1960, 11 in 1961, 24 in 1963, 21 in 1964, and 17 people were executed in 1972.
Executions in the independence courts
The exact number of executions by the independence courts, supreme courts set up during the Turkish War of Independence, is unknown.
In a book named "Istiklal (independence) Courts," Prof. Dr. Ergun Aybars points out that the actual number of executions by these courts is much more than officially announced.
According to Aybars, the Special Independence Courts handed out death penalties to 1450 or 1500 people, instead of 1054, as enunciated. Executions by judgment given in default are 243.
Aybars, says the following about the Special Independence Courts in the foreword to his book:
"It is impossible to talk about the years 1919-1927, without talking about the function and effects of the 14 Special Independence courts which were set up during the Turkish War of Independence to try the military runaways, spies, defeatists, traitors; and to maintain national security; and the other 3 independence courts set up after the proclamation of the Turkish Republic to enable the coming true of the Turkish revolution."
* Sources: ntvmsnbc.com, belgeselnet.com, izmirbarosu.org.tr and Istiklal
Mahkemeleri (independence courts)(Prof. Dr. Ergun Aybars, Ileri Publishing
House, 1995)
