They said "give a signature against death penalty". Some were beaten, detained, arrested. Campaigns were opened. Associations, political parties were harrased as they declared their opposition to the death penalty.
Intellects from different ages warned the society and governers against death penalty with their poems, plays, stories and novels.
Tens of thousand people have paid the cost being against death penalty.
Prime ministers, ministers, youngish people were lost their lives at gallows.
Families, lawyers, relatives, comrades have also paid the cost.
A big struggle has been made in Turkey against death penalty. Opposition to the death penalty has not been occured in one day; there was no a magic hand on politicians to abolish the death penalty. The motive could be the critical moment for the EU process. However, this does not shadow the consistent last-long struggle of the democratic powers of Turkish society. The value of efforts spent on this way cannot be forggetten by us.,
Whatever the motive is, abolishment of the death penalty for terror crimes by the Turkish Grand National Assembly is a big step forward. All who took and contributed to this decision should be congratulated.
Turkish society has a pluralist ethnic, language, religious and cultural patterns. This particularity of the society and the monolistic structure of Constitution and following legal structure contradict to each other. Cultural pluralism is one of the main characteristics of democracy. It requires the one who is different should have the facility to express, develop and protect his/her difference. In Turkey, some citizens of the Turkish Republic have a different mother language than Turkish. This establishes a reality. This reality refers to the diversity and colourfullness as sources of richness of our country and society. Removal of the legal barriers in front of the use of different languages in radio and tv broadcasting and providing the facility to teach those languages in private courses are further democratic steps.
Society of Turkey demands a high leel democracy in every field. Pathalogical fears in the fields of death penalty and cultural pluralism was referring to a critical tresholds. After a two-day debate, this treshold was surmounted sucessfully on 3 August 2002 at 06:25 a.m.
Hüsnü Öndül
President