Criticizing strongly the new amnesty law that was pushed through parliament by Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its right-wing ally, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Sağlam said: “The ruling party and its partner, who ignored the calls of our party and the majority of society, passed through the prisoners’ release law, injuring severely the sense of justice and conscience in Turkey. With the approval of the president, the law entered into force on 14 April 2020 and releases began. Although the president repeatedly and rightly stated in the past that 'it is not right for the state to forgive those who commit crimes against the citizen, but the state can forgive those who commit crimes against him', the legal amendment has made crimes against the citizens such as gang violence, looting, theft eligible for release. Unfortunately, victims who received heavy sentences during the February 28 postmodern coup process and the parallel judicial period and they have been in prison for 20-25 years were excluded from the new amnesty law. With the exclusion from the law, even the elderly and severe patients over the age of 65 were left to die in prison. At the same time, the people who were put in prison and were victimized on the grounds that they were married at a young age were also excluded from the amnesty and their wives and children's cries were not heard.”
“There is no legal explanation of the great injustice in the new amnesty law”
Sağlam concluded as follows: “This attitude of the government, which people had a great expectation that it would eliminate the atrocities and injustices, in favor of the continuation of the atrocities, created a great disappointment in the society. Aside from the political repercussions of this unconscionable step, it is not possible to give an account of it in the hereafter. There is no legal explanation of the great injustice in the new amnesty law.”
ILKHA