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Turkey minister Soylu tells police to break drug dealers' legs | Turkey minister Soylu tells police to break drug dealers' legs |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Turkey's Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu has been criticised for saying police should break the legs of drug dealers who are seen outside schools. | Turkey's Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu has been criticised for saying police should break the legs of drug dealers who are seen outside schools. |
The Turkish Human Rights Association (IHD) and secular opposition newspaper Cumhuriyet both accused Mr Soylu of incitement to commit a crime. | The Turkish Human Rights Association (IHD) and secular opposition newspaper Cumhuriyet both accused Mr Soylu of incitement to commit a crime. |
He pledged to take the blame for it. | He pledged to take the blame for it. |
"If a dealer is near a school the police have a duty to break his leg. Do it and blame me. Even if it costs five, 10, 20 years in jail - we'll pay." | |
He was speaking at a public meeting on security, at a hall in the Turkish capital, Ankara. | He was speaking at a public meeting on security, at a hall in the Turkish capital, Ankara. |
He said the security forces' seizure of 20 tonnes of heroin in 2017 had made it a record year for drug hauls. | He said the security forces' seizure of 20 tonnes of heroin in 2017 had made it a record year for drug hauls. |
He said Turkey must fight drug dealers just as it fights the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). | He said Turkey must fight drug dealers just as it fights the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). |
"What we are doing to the PKK terrorists we must also do to drug dealers - no one can poison our future. What the security officer does is my responsibility." | "What we are doing to the PKK terrorists we must also do to drug dealers - no one can poison our future. What the security officer does is my responsibility." |
Brave words or criminal incitement? | |
By Selin Girit, BBC reporter in Istanbul | |
Mr Soylu's comments came as a shock to many in Turkey. Social media buzzed with reactions. | |
Some people thanked him and praised him for what they perceived as bravery in the fight against drug-trafficking. However there was also some fierce criticism. | |
"A warrant for execution," said the headline in a leftist paper, Evrensel. An MP from the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) has already filed a lawsuit against Mr Soylu for "incitement to commit a crime". | |
But presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said Mr Soylu's comments showed a determination to root out drug abuse. | |
A 2017 report by the EU's European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction says Turkey is a key transit country for gangs smuggling heroin to Europe from Afghanistan. | A 2017 report by the EU's European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction says Turkey is a key transit country for gangs smuggling heroin to Europe from Afghanistan. |
The report, citing figures for 2015, said methamphetamine was also a growing problem in Turkey, including ecstasy (MDMA) pills that came from the Netherlands and Belgium. | The report, citing figures for 2015, said methamphetamine was also a growing problem in Turkey, including ecstasy (MDMA) pills that came from the Netherlands and Belgium. |
Drug-related offenders account for about 20% of the Turkish prison population, and their numbers are growing, the report said. Turkey hands down long jail terms for drug crimes. | |
Drug abuse rates in Turkey appear to be much lower than in more developed countries in Europe. | |
According to a government report, 1.5% of youths aged 15-16 have taken drugs at least once. | |
The Turkish police narcotics bureau reported more than 80,000 drug-related incidents in 2016, with nearly 15,000 arrests. | |
In recent years Turkish security forces have also destroyed marijuana plantations in some south-eastern areas where the Kurdish separatists have strong support. | |
Turkey has been fighting a Kurdish insurgency in its south-east for decades, and accuses the PKK of involvement in drug-trafficking. |
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