Main opposition CHP MP demands up to six years in prison for deliberate killing of animals

ANKARA

DHA photo

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Istanbul deputy Gürsel Tekin has proposed up to six year jail terms for those who deliberately kill animals.

According to Tekin’s law amendment proposal submitted to the parliament, the title of the Turkish Penal Code article “Crimes against the environment” was changed to “Crimes against the environment and animals.” The 181st article “Deliberately polluting the environment” was also changed to “Deliberately polluting the environment and deliberately killing or injuring animals.”

“A person who deliberately kills an animal, owned or stray, can be sentenced from two to six years in prison. A person who deliberately hurts the bodies of animals or causes deterioration to their perceptional ability can be sentenced from six months to two years in prison,” Tekin’s proposal read.

The justification for his proposal was the fact that animals are not regarded as “living creatures” but as “property” in the current penal code.

The law amendment proposal also pointed out that criminal actions against the physical unity of stray animals are regulated as a “misdemeanor” and only given an administrative fine.

“It is very obvious that the aforementioned law which regulates this crime as a ‘misdemeanor’ is far from effective or deterrent in its current form,” the proposal said.

A recent incident had sparked a fiery debate in the country when a driver killed a stray dog in a hit-and-run in the Mediterranean province of Antalya but was released after his detention.