Turkish government is planning a bill that will mean prison terms for suspects convicted of torturing animals to death. Veysel Eroğlu, whose Forestry and Water Affairs Ministry oversees animal rights, said the bill, which will be discussed by Parliament, will replace lenient fines with harsh sentences. Eroğlu told Anadolu Agency on Friday that regulations for the protection of animal rights were among the reforms the government pledged to undertake within a year and they would seek protection, especially for stray animals in cities. The minister said the current laws had their shortcomings. "We need to stop the maltreatment of animals primarily. Violations of animal rights are currently treated as misdemeanors, which mean they are only fined. This should be changed if we want to deter people from committing these crimes. So, a law proposal is in the works for bringing prison terms for crimes such as torturing animals to death, bestiality and breeding dangerous canine breeds," he said. Killing animals is not punishable with a prison sentence in Turkey. A man who tortured a cat to death in the city of Eskişehir last year was fined TL 500 ($171) under the Misdemeanors Law, an incident that caused outrage in the country. Animal rights activists have called the government to amend the articles related to animal rights so that crimes against animals can be sentenced with prison terms. Parliament approved a draft law last year that mandates prison terms of up to three years for torturing animals, but the law has not been enacted yet.
