Death penalty calls spell end of current EU-Turkey relations – German Foreign Minister

‘Claims of the possible reinstatement of capital punishment in Turkey signal an end to the existing relations between Ankara and Europe, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said.
“The core problem is that Turkey is distant from democracy,” Gabriel said in an interview with Stern magazine, adding that “innocent people are imprisoned there.”
The minister noted the crackdown on the media and shakeup in the police and judicial system in Turkey, which followed the failed coup attempt last summer.
In April, the Turkish people supported the switch from a parliamentary to presidential system in a controversial referendum, vastly expanding the powers of leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Following the victory, Erdogan frequently spoke of staging another vote on the return of the death penalty in Turkey, which he said is needed to punish the coup plotters and restore order.
“Repeated statements on reinstating the death penalty are the end of the existing relations between Europe and Turkey. It’s quite obvious,” Gabriel stressed.’
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