Turkey has officially abolished the death penalty:

The Turkish ambassador to the Council of Europe made the pledge on Friday by signing protocol number 13 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The protocol obliges countries to abolish the death penalty in all circumstances, including times of conflict.

Now Turkey is closer to admission to the European Union which requires that its members do not impose the death penalty.

"The death penalty is the ulitimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. It violates the right to life. It is irrevocable and can be inflicted on the innocent. It has never been shown to deter crime more effectively than other punishment".

There has been a moratorium on the death penalty in Turkey since 1984. Turkey previously agreed to ban the death penalty in peacetime, but it now has agreed to ban it in all instances, including war time.

The EU is to decide in December 2004 if Turkey, a secular but mainly Muslim country, has made enough progress in democratic reforms to open membership talks.