Turkey performs U-turn on adultery law plans

Turkey’s Islamic-rooted ruling party is planning to reintroduce a proposal to criminalise adultery, despite saying the controversial measure had been shelved.

The decision came only two days after the party said it had dropped the proposal following protests from women’s groups and warnings from the European Union that such a law could jeopardise the country’s chances of membership.

According to a senior ruling party official, the party has prepared a proposal, replacing the word “adultery” with “sexual infidelity”.

Ali Topuz, an MP from the main opposition party, which had opposed the adultery proposal, said: “There is pressure on us, we can never accept this. If the adultery proposal comes to the parliament, then they bear the responsibility.”

“We would do anything we can at the highest level and paralyse the parliament,” Topuz said as opposition MPs prepared to walk out of the floor if the adultery proposal is submitted.

The reintroduction move was made under pressure by hard-line MPs in Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party.

The proposal is part of a major overhaul of the mostly Muslim country’s 78-year-old penal code that the Justice party was pressing for in order to bring Turkish laws more in line with those of the European Union, as the bloc decides before year’s end whether to begin talks on Turkey’s membership.