Istanbul June 25, 2010 Turkey The Justice Minister said on Saturday that he would reconsider the decision to abolish the death penalty after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lifted the death penalty following this week’s fire.
During the early years of Erdogan’s rule, the Constitution condemned him to death. But after the suspected blaze destroyed 4,500 hectares (11,119 acres) of the Aegean coastal forest, Erdogan said strong justice was needed.
Authorities say the suspect arrested in connection with the fire is believed to have committed the act. Authorities say a fire in a forest near the Marmers Resort has been contained.
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After visiting the site on Friday, Erdogan said the punishment for burning forests was “a terrible death sentence.”
“It is a guide for us,” Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag told reporters in the eastern city of Agri on Saturday.
“We have started working as a ministry,” Bozdag said, adding that the current punishment for wildfires is 10 years in prison, which can be up to life in prison if it is part of an organized crime.
The country’s first major summer fire began on Tuesday, reminiscent of last year’s fire that destroyed 140,000 hectares of land.
Interior Minister Suleiman Soilu said on Thursday that the arrested suspect had set fire to the forest in anger over family matters. Read more
Local officials told Reuters in recent days that they did not have the necessary equipment and manpower for another winter fire. Read more
On Friday, Forest Development Minister Vahit Kirichchi said 88% of forest fires in Turkey have been started by humans.
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Reporting by Ezra Seila; Corrected by Jonathan Spyiser and Mike Harrison
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