Four Turkish nationals sentenced to death in Iran and Saudi Arabia

ANKARA

Four Turkish nationals have been sentenced to death in Iran and Saudi Arabia among more than 6,000 Turkish citizens that have been either arrested and-or convicted in foreign countries as of October 2013, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has stated.

Davutoğlu’s statement came in response to a written motion filed by main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy Sezgin Tanrıkulu. The foreign minister responded to the motion on behalf of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Among arrested and-or convicted Turkish citizens, 3.602 are in Germany, 214 are in Austria, 307 are in France, 253 are in Holland, 195 are in Belgium, 188 are in Greece, 151 are in Turkish Cyprus, 110 are in Britain, and 902 in other countries, the minister stated.

Turkey takes the steps required in order to alleviate heavy sentences like capital punishment to life convictions, he noted, adding the Turkish government requests the repatriation of some of those convicted abroad so that they can carry out their prison sentence in Turkey.

“It is understood that our citizens are not informed enough in relation to their rights as per local and international legislation,” the minister stated, noting the necessity of Turkish foreign missions to be prepared to assist as 38 foreign representatives are already working with contacted legal experts.