Discussions on the new Penal Code are ongoing in the Turkish National Assembly. The change in the law, called the "Corona Amnesty", could release 90,000 of 295,000 prisoners. The draft introduced by the governing coalition AKP/MHP explicitly excludes political prisoners. Critics accuse the government of granting an amnesty to its own supporters, while opposition members are left to die in Corona prisons.

HDP (Peoples’ Democratic Party) Parliamentary Group Deputy Chair Meral Danış Beştaş held a press conference in Ankara about the current developments and the discriminatory prison law.

"People no longer know whether they should protect themselves from the virus or from fascism," the Kurdish politician said in response to the fiasco of Turkish government policy in the Corona crisis.

Beştaş continued: "The Interior Minister proved on Friday night that he lacks any capacity for foresight. The Interior Minister and the President are trying to whitewash each other with contradictory statements. Their actions show that they are incapable of managing the existing crisis and governing Turkey."

Commenting on the draft enforcement bill, Meral Danış Beştaş said: "The ruling coalition is rushing to get 90,000 people out of prison, but at the same time it risks the lives of 200,000 more people and expects us to watch. No, we will not watch the prisoners die. There are sick people, old people, people in need of care and women with children in prison. All these people are to be left to die and the government wants to make a profit out of it. We have been debating for a week on a matter that could be resolved with a single article. Those convicted of manslaughter and assault are to be released, journalists are to remain in prison. This law is intended to amnesty crimes, but not thoughts and opinions. The government's only concern is to keep itself in power.”

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