http://www.zaman.com/?bl=national&alt=&hn=24985
HR Commission to Scrutinize New Counter-Terrorism Draft Act By Habib Guler Published: Thursday, October 06, 2005 zaman.com Draft of CTA to Lead to Martial Law (Updated) The new Counter-Terrorism Draft Act (CTA), the subject of recent public debates in Turkey over its inclusion of ambiguous expressions and anti-democratic articles, is coming to the agenda of Turkish Parliament. Turkish Minister of Justice Cemil Cicek will inform Parliamentary Human Rights Commission members about the draft on Thursday. Commission members, who indicated they were following up the process closely, will convey to Cicek their sensitivities about the Act. gWe will examine the draft meticulously and in detail. We will be careful about whether or not some concealed drawbacks were included in the act or not,h said Atilla Maras, spokesman for the Commission, noting they would take care not to allow articles restricting freedoms to be included in the act. The Turkish Ministry of Justice still has some concerns over the draft act, which has been prepared jointly by officials from General Staff, Gendarmerie, National Intelligence Service (MIT), and Security Directorate. The draft has been subject to criticisms that it includes some prohibitions lifted by former Turkish President Turgut Ozal. It has been revised by a Commission formed within the Justice and Development Party (AKP). The Human Rights Commission members, who will be addressed by Minister of Justice Cicek, will once again express the sensitivity of public opinion today. Commission spokesman Maras emphasized the new act should not restrict human rights and freedoms. Stressing that Turkey has renewed several laws during the European Union (EU) process, Maras said: gAll articles restricting human rights in our laws have been excluded in recent years. If the former articles are re-included, no one would accept this. The new act should not harm peoplefs freedoms and rights. We will examine the draft meticulously. If we find any drawbacks or violations of human rights in it, we will raise questions about them.h Tokat Deputy Resul Tosun, a member of the Commission, said the new law is based on the perspective of fighting against terrorism and should not put innocent people into the position of the aggrieved. Explaining they would struggle not to allow current rights to be reduced, Tosun indicated he found public debates very challenging and useful. He thinks recent debates have avoided some drawbacks that might have been included in the act without any notice. Manisa Deputy Hakan Tasci, another member of the Commission, underlines that the new CTA should be balanced so as not to restrict civil liberties but also to reduce the problems that security forces are faced with. Tasci, urging for the need to avoid ambiguous expressions, suggests, gIssues regarding expression of thoughts with no use of arms or organized protests should not be labeled as crimes.h Some deputies from the main opposition Republican Peoplesf Party (CHP), who are also members of the Commission, share similar concerns. Izmir Deputy Ahmet Ersin maintains they expect enactment of a law, which will not block democratic rights. Highlighting that democratic rights have been extended in legal arrangements on fighting against terrorism in all countries, Ersin demands such a method to be applied in the new CTA. Gaziantep Deputy Ahmet Yilmazkaya, on the other side, argues that existing laws should be practiced primarily rather than enacting new laws. Yilmazkaya explains that if existing laws are implemented, there would be no need for new ones to be enacted in the fight against terrorism, saying: gOur aim is to make all society rest easy. Thatfs why peoplefs rights should not be restricted. The Commission shall do whatever is necessary on this issue.h According the September 10 leading article of Hurriyet newspaper, the CTA draft might serve as a ground for any kind of crimes gto be considered as an act of terrorh. For instance, those who commit crimes in the name of an illegal organization, even though they are not members of it, will be able to be punished as if they had committed a terrorist act. The new arrangement will also be able to open the door to implementation of martial law with no limitation on time and space. Security forces will be able to put restrictions on suspected peoplesf freedoms of travel, or of participating in certain occupations or activities, or to stay in a certain settlement and communicate. Individuals will be able to be considered as terrorists apart from any organization. Aksam newspaper also announced the same news under a headline of gLike Martial Lawh. The AKP later conducted a study on the draft that was submitted to the Cabinet by the Minister of Justice. The Commission composed of AKP Deputy President Dengir Mir Mehmet Firat and Hayati Yazici, State Minister Nimet Cubukcu and Yozgat Deputy Bekir Bozdag excluded restrictions that were aimed to be put on democracy and freedoms from the text and decided the definition of gterrorh to remain in the text as it was defined in the Turkish Penal Code (TCK). A file including the amendments was sent to Prime Ministry Under Secretariat. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Fair play? Video games influencing politics. Click and talk back! http://us.click.yahoo.com/VpgUKB/pzNLAA/cUmLAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? 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