Minister says will protect CHP leader if he avoids throwing Molotovs

Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu's criticized the new security bill that enhances the powers of law-enforcement officers and modifies domestic security procedures. "I promise to stand in front of those youth [protesters]," he said. Commenting on the CHP leader's words, Interior Minister Efkan Ala said, like any other protester, Kılıçdaroğlu will be protected if he does not carry or throw Molotov cocktails at police or the public.

"There is great public support for the draft security law. Polls show that 80 percent of people approve of the new bill," Ala claimed. Discussions on the bill, which was approved by the internal affairs commission of Parliament on Jan. 22, are expected to begin in Parliament next week.

Ala said that the bill was already anticipated by the Turkish people, as "they all know what happened during the Gezi Park protests, and at other times," referring to the protests in the summer of 2013 when the Istanbul municipality attempted to remove a number of trees in Gezi Park, a green space in the city center, as part of a redevelopment project.

What began as a seemingly environmentalist movement, with concerned Istanbulites numbering in the dozens occupying Gezi Park to prevent the removal of the trees, soon grew into a nationwide wave of protests against the government. The minister also dismissed criticism of the bill: "The arguments are not based on research."

The bill was first submitted to the commission in November of last year in the wake of last October's protests that resulted in the deaths of dozens of people. The proposed legislation outlaws possession of fireworks, Molotov cocktails and slingshots during protests. Protesters who conceal their faces in demonstrations that take a pro-terrorism tone can now face imprisonment for up to five years.

The bill also gives police enhanced powers to act preemptively in carrying out raids based on intelligence of possible criminal activity. Police will now be authorized to use lethal force against those who attack schools, public offices or places of worship with firearms, explosives or other weapons. Officers will also be able to search a person, their belongings or private vehicles based on oral instructions by police chiefs. The person being searched will be informed of the reason for the procedure.

In cases that cause uproar in society such as manslaughter, trafficking or sexual abuse, the police will have the authority to hold a suspect in custody for 24 hours with the approval of a public prosecutor or a deputy governor and under supervision of their superior officers. With the new law, all transactions involving bonsai, a cheap, addictive and potent drug, will be considered as illegal as conducting deals for other drugs. The bill also stipulates that the interior minister will have the power to appoint junior commanders to Turkey's General Command of the Gendarmerie, the country's paramilitary force, and the Coast Guard, except for admirals for the Coast Guard and generals in the gendarmerie force.