Erdogan blocks child rape bill as EU Parliament votes on bid freeze

After a public outcry, Turkey's ruling party scrapped its controversial bill pardoning child rapists who marry their victims in what could be a sign that common sense still has some sway in President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s "New Turkey," but likely has more to do with an expected EU move to freeze Turkey's membership bid.
Protesters shout slogans during a protest against a proposal that would have allowed sentencing in cases of sexual abuse committed "without force, threat or trick" before Nov. 16, 2016 to be indefinitely postponed if the perpetrator marries the victim, in front of the Turkish Parlaiment in Ankara, Turkey, November 22, 2016. Banners read, "if the rape will be legitimized the rebellion will go on" (L) and "the bill will be asked from rapist AK Party (AKP) by women (R)" REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTSSRLU
Protesters shout slogans during a demonstration against a proposal that would have allowed sentences handed out to people convicted of statutory rape to be indefinitely postponed if the perpetrator marries the victim, in Ankara, Nov. 22, 2016. - REUTERS/Umit Bektas
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Amberin Zaman
@amberinzaman

It seemed too good to be true: First there came the shelving of a controversial bill that would have given amnesty to child rapists who married their victims.

Then today, Nov. 23, two prominent prisoners of conscience were reported to have been cleared of terror charges, inspiring hope that they would be set free. It later emerged that the trials of novelist Asli Erdogan and translator Necmiye Alpay over purported links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party will continue and that they would remain in jail.

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