Panel agrees on 3 articles of charter

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

BDP’s Süreyya Önder is a member of the charter panel. AA photo

Parliament’s constitution making commission reached agreement on three more articles yesterday, bringing the total to five, sources said.

Following a rift on whether to explicitly ban discrimination against homosexuals that held up progress for days, the representatives of the four parties agreed on the wording of provisions on the “ban on ill-treatment and torture,” “the right to life” and “the protection of the individual’s physical and spiritual entity and integrity.”

The texts of the agreed provisions are as follows:

The right to life: Everyone has the right to life. The uses of force permitted by the law - in cases of compulsory self-defense, or in attempting to prevent crime, or in a threat to the right to life - are outside of the scope of this provision.

The protection of the individual’s physical and spiritual entity: Everyone has the right to protect, develop and demand respect for his physical and spiritual entity. An individual’s physical integrity is inviolable, including instances of scientific and medical experiments, except for cases of medical necessity and cases explicitly mentioned in the law where the individual’s enlightened consent is available.

A ban on ill-treatment and torture: Ill-treatment and torture are prohibited. Individuals cannot be subjected to penalties or treatments that are incompatible with human dignity and honor, including cases of restrictions to freedom and the execution of penalties.