Turkish parliament approves reforms

The Turkish parliament today approved proposals to scale down police powers and improve conditions of detainees before a crucial European Union summit that will decide whether to start membership negotiations with Turkey.

The amendment to Turkey’s code on criminal proceedings is one of three reforms the nation’s government promised to adopt in time for a December 16-17 EU summit at which European leaders will decide whether to give the green light for accession talks.

Turkey has carried out a series of reforms to qualify for EU membership, such as abolishing the death penalty and cutting back the power of the military in politics.

The latest changes will come into force after approval by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer.

They include requiring police to obtain written permission from a judge or prosecutor to conduct searches in suspects’ homes or other premises. Currently officers only need a go-ahead from their superiors.

Police would also be required to immediately read a detainee his or her rights, and suspects would no longer be held for more than 24 hours without charges. Police would be forced to notify a family member of the detention.

Detainees suspected of crimes that carry punishment of less than two years would no longer be imprisoned for the duration of the trial.

Lawmakers compromised on an amendment covering the medical examination of female detainees. Earlier, lawmakers from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party – which has roots in Turkey’s Islamic movement – had insisted that only female doctors should examine women detainees. That proposal outraged opposition lawmakers. In a compromise decision, female detainees will be able to ask for female doctors if they object to male ones.

Among other changes, the amendments would allow police to eavesdrop on people suspected of trafficking drugs or humans, murder, sexual assault, child abuse, fraud, treason or spying, as a last resort and only after obtaining permission from a judge or a prosecutor.

The amendments also improve court proceedings, introducing for example direct cross-examination rights to lawyers and prosecutors. Previously, questions were addressed to the judge, who then relayed them to a witness or defendant.

The government hopes to pass two other EU-demanded laws – legislation establishing a special judicial police and a law on execution of punishments - in the coming days.