The German government is convinced that a country that has the death penalty cannot be a member of the European Union, reaffirmed deputy government spokesperson Ulrike Demmer.
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At a demonstration in Istanbul, the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan once again failed to rule out the reintroduction of capital punishment.
At the government press conference, deputy government spokesperson Ulrike Demmer made it quite clear that the reintroduction of capital punishment in Turkey would signal the end of EU accession negotiations. "It is quite clear that there is no place in the EU for a country that has the death penalty."
Ulrike Demmer pointed to Protocol 13 to the European Convention on Human Rights, which Turkey has signed and ratified. It came into force in 2003, and obliges all members of the Council of Europe to fully abolish the death penalty, she said.
On Sunday (7 August) at a mass demonstration in Istanbul, the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan once again refused to rule out the reintroduction of the death penalty. Speaking to more than one million supporters at Yenikapi Square on the shores of the Marmara Sea, he declared, "If the people want to see the death penalty, the parties will follow the will of the people." If parliament should vote for capital punishment, he would confirm it, said President Erdoğan.
The Federal Foreign Office spokesperson, Sawsan Chebli, also made it plain that, "If Turkey introduces the death penalty that would clearly not be compatible with the fundamental values of the EU. That would mean the end of accession negotiations."
At the same time Sawsan Chebli stressed that it is important to talk directly with Turkey, which is an important partner and neighbour. This is why Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has sent State Secretary Markus Ederer to Turkey to seek dialogue at a number of different levels.
The aim, she said, is to demonstrate solidarity with the people and also with the Turkish parliament which has taken a clear line against the military coup. "At the same time, however, we must make it clear that the rule of law must be upheld in all Turkey’s legitimate interests and efforts to investigate the military coup."