• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Merkel: No voting in Germany for potential Turkish death penalty referendum

Oersted

Member
"We usually don't answer hypothetical questions, but this question is unfortunately not so hypothetical as it is being discussed in Turkey," Merkel told broadcaster WDR on Tuesday.

"I thought it was important to say that we cannot give permission on German soil to a subject matter that we absolutely reject, such as the death penalty."

Erdogan has mentioned reinstating the death penalty in an apparent attempt to rally nationalism and execute alleged coup plotters tied to US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara blames for the coup.[

Separately, Germany's migration office said 414 Turkish officials with diplomatic passports and their families have applied for asylum. A number of the asylum requests have been approved.

According to several media reports, among those receiving asylum are members of the Turkish military.

More here

http://m.dw.com/en/merkel-no-voting...l-turkish-death-penalty-referendum/a-38776406

Lock if old
 

Madness

Member
Good.

I'm sure there'll be some bluster from Turkey, but that's all it will be...empty bluster.

Eh, so far it has been the Europeans with their tails tucked between their legs. Erdogan has tortured thousands, jailed hundreds of thousands, has brutally clamped down. Said and done so much crazy stuff and yet they are still bending over backwards to appease him because he may not follow through with his migrant issues. It is a laughingstock. He can probably start torturing or killing Kurds again en masse and no one will care.
 

Markoman

Member
Imagine the absurd scenario of people voting for something that doesn't affect them.
We need an international law that prohibits stuff like that.
 

Kthulhu

Member
Eh, so far it has been the Europeans with their tails tucked between their legs. Erdogan has tortured thousands, jailed hundreds of thousands, has brutally clamped down. Said and done so much crazy stuff and yet they are still bending over backwards to appease him because he may not follow through with his migrant issues. It is a laughingstock. He can probably start torturing or killing Kurds again en masse and no one will care.

Please tell me the EU isn't planning on let Turkey join after all this.
 

blu

Wants the largest console games publisher to avoid Nintendo's platforms.
Eh, so far it has been the Europeans with their tails tucked between their legs. Erdogan has tortured thousands, jailed hundreds of thousands, has brutally clamped down. Said and done so much crazy stuff and yet they are still bending over backwards to appease him because he may not follow through with his migrant issues. It is a laughingstock. He can probably start torturing or killing Kurds again en masse and no one will care.
EU is not the US of A. We don't go bomb neighbours we don't agree with. They just get the short end of the negotiation stick. As in: Turkey is at an all-time low at negotiation power with EU right now. And yes, I'm counting the refugees.
 

Kinyou

Member
The downside of it is that people also can't vote no. Though looking at the Erdogan rallies in Germany I wonder how many that would actually be.
 

Madness

Member
Imagine the absurd scenario of people voting for something that doesn't affect them.
We need an international law that prohibits stuff like that.

You don't need an international law at all. You could pass a domestic law that states if you are a dual citizen or citizen of this country, you are hereby prohibited from voting in foreign elections or referendums if you do not spend 6 months of the year there etc. With a threat of fine, community service etc.

Absolute bullshit Belgian Turks can vote to impose dictatorship on Turks in Istanbul. Imagine if Scots abroad were able to vote on whether Scotland stays with the UK and they have a majority or sway the vote compared to Scots in Scotland etc. How would the people feel.

EU is not the US of A. We don't go bomb neighbours we don't agree with. They just get the short end of the negotiation stick. As in: Turkey is at an all-time low at negotiation power with EU right now. And yes, I'm counting the refugees.

Except when it is Libya which France and the UK wanted to bomb but needed US support doing so. I am not even saying bomb Turkey, a fellow NATO member wtf. But let's not pretend Turkey still doesn't hold all the cards. Hell the fact that even EU membership wasn't immediately denied, but instead 'put on the backburner' shows how scared EU is to upset Turkey. No real headway on the status of Cyprus in which half the country is still under Turkish occupation, the crackdown on journalists and thousands of people not involved with the coup but accused nonetheless. It all goes largely unnoticed with a blind eye. Germany especially. All time low on negotiation powrr isn't saying much.
 

blu

Wants the largest console games publisher to avoid Nintendo's platforms.
Except when it is Libya which France and the UK wanted to bomb but needed US support doing so.
UN Security Council res 1973.. Voted against by.. zero council members. The fact there was a raging civil war in Libya being of no significance to you, apparently.

I am not even saying bomb Turkey, a fellow NATO member wtf.
That's the point - what are you even saying in the first place? That EU should strong-arm Erdogan into submission? How do you suggest EU do that? Navy seals?

But let's not pretend Turkey still doesn't hold all the cards. Hell the fact that even EU membership wasn't immediately denied, but instead 'put on the backburner' shows how scared EU is to upset Turkey.
Newsflash: everybody who's anybody in EU has been saying for the past 1.5 years that Turkey has zero chance of membership with their current course (past the coup).

No real headway on the status of Cyprus in which half the country is still under Turkish occupation, the crackdown on journalists and thousands of people not involved with the coup but accused nonetheless. It all goes largely unnoticed with a blind eye. Germany especially. All time low on negotiation powrr isn't saying much.
Unnoticed and given a blind eye? Are you living in an alternative universe? Erdogan has become the synonym of dictator in everybody's pubic talk. And Cyprus talks have been lead by EU politicians. Do you suggest we call in the Americans? Or perhaps the Russians? They'll surely handle the situation much better..
 
Top Bottom