Death penalty would bar Turkey's EU membership: Mogherini

EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, has warned that Turkey would be barred from joining the bloc if it reintroduces the death penalty to allow the execution of those involved in a recent failed coup in the country.

Speaking in Brussels where she has been meeting with European foreign ministers, Mogherini said that Turkey's return of the death penalty would bar its EU membership.

"Let me be very clear... no country can become an EU state if it introduces the death penalty," the EU foreign policy chief said on Monday.

The EU foreign policy chief noted that Turkey is part of the Council of Europe and is bound by the European Convention on Human Rights, adding, “Turkey is an important part of the Council of Europe and is bound by the European Convention on Human Rights, which is very clear on the death penalty.”

Mogherini had earlier warned the Turkish government against taking any post-coup steps that would damage the constitutional order.

US Secretary of State John Kerry also said during a visit to Brussels that the United States and EU call on Turkey to respect the rule of law in the crackdown following the attempted coup.

"We firmly urge the government of Turkey to maintain calm and stability throughout the country," Kerry told a news conference with Mogherini after talks with EU foreign ministers, adding, "And we also urge the government of Turkey to uphold the highest standards of respect for the nation's democratic institutions and the rule of law."

In strongly worded remarks, German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said on Monday that Turkey cannot join the EU if it reinstates the death penalty.

"Germany and the member states of the EU have a clear position on that: we categorically reject the death penalty," Seibert told a news conference in the German capital Berlin, adding, "A country that has the death penalty can't be a member of the European Union and the introduction of the death penalty in Turkey would therefore mean the end of accession negotiations."

The spokesman for the German government also stressed that Berlin had grave questions about President Erdogan's response to the foiled military takeover.

SS