Turkish Press Review
A new bill giving more powers to law enforcement agencies to prevent crimes in Turkey is extensively covered by the Turkish dailies Wednesday.
ISTANBUL
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Eleven pillars of a new bill, announced by Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Tuesday, to give more powers to Turkish law enforcement agencies dominates the Turkish dailies.
YENI SAFAK describes it as "A revolutionary package". Fundamental changes will be made according to the paper. Personnel records for those working at the Turkish Gendarmerie and the Coast Guard will be transferred to the Interior Ministry.
The possession of Molotov cocktails will be considered a crime while those dealing drugs, including bonzai, will be treated like terrorists.
SABAH quotes Davutoglu as saying "End of the demonstrations with mask and Molotov cocktails" referring to the bill which states that protesters covering their faces will be regarded as potential criminals and prevented from taking part in demonstrations.
The daily adds Ankara is seeking to improve individuals' lives with a domestic security reform package that aims to establish a balance between freedom and security of the people while enhancing civilian identity of the Turkish state.
"Our life will totally change" says MILLIYET. The paper reports that the bill will label calls for violence made via social media platforms as criminal acts. Further legal measures will be taken against social media platforms if such calls lead to massive acts of violence.
According to the bill, Turkish police will also be granted the authority to impose 24-hour detentions with the approval of the prosecutor or the deputy governor and under the supervision of their superiors.
Davutoglu said the prosecutor could extend the detention period for up to four days, after which the detained person should appear before a court.
The new draft says the approval of only one penal court judge is needed to obtain a wiretap warrant, ZAMAN claims. The daily says a parliamentary commission of 17 deputies will be established in Parliament to monitor wiretaps performed by the police for judicial investigations.
The bill comes after the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, - led demonstrations during the Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice) holiday at the beginning of October which resulted in the deaths of 38 people.
In preparing the new security reform, the Turkish government reviewed models from EU-member countries for potential application in Turkey.
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