ISTANBUL, Turkey — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday he expected parliament to approve restoring capital punishment after next month’s referendum in a move that could end Ankara’s bid to join the EU. ADVERTISEMENTWith the bitter standoff showing no sign of ending, his remarks on restoring the death penalty looked set to further strain relations. READ: House approves death penalty bill with 217 yes votes | Death penalty is ‘anti-poor’ – rights groupTurkey completely abolished the death penalty in 2004 as part of its efforts to join the European Union and the bloc has made clear that any move to restore it would scupper Ankara’s already-embattled membership bid. Erdogan raised the idea of bringing back the death penalty after the failed coup of July 15, suggesting it would bring justice to the families of the victims. ‘Ignore Hans and George’EU officials have repeatedly warned Turkey that restoring capital punishment would spell the end of its decades-long bid to join the bloc.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer March 19, 2017 02:08 UTC