Turkish parliament adjourns until October

ANKARA

The Turkish parliament has adjourned until Oct. 1 following the approval of a contentious bill regulating the handling of stray dogs.

The bill, which has sparked months of heated debates and protests, was endorsed after 28 hours of deliberation over two days.

The discussions culminated early on July 30, with main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel and İYİ (Good) Party leader Müsavat Dervişoğlu present at the plenary session to witness the final deliberations.

The bill, now law, includes a controversial euthanasia article. According to this provision, veterinarians will have the authority to euthanize dogs in cases of "incurable, acute and infectious diseases, risks to human health and dangerous behavior to humans and other animals."

The last speaker of the session was CHP lawmaker Ali Öztunç. Following the closing, Özel and Dervişoğlu posed for photos with their parliamentary teams, while AKP members gathered for a farewell photo in front of the stage after the bill’s approval.