Opposition to take bill amending regulation on protection of animals to Constitutional Court

The bill amending the Law on the Protection of Animals, which includes regulations on stray animals, has been approved by the General Assembly of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) and has become law. With this law, amendments are made to the Law on the Protection of Animals, adding the phrase “considering human, animal, and environmental health” to the law’s objectives.

To avoid ambiguity in the work related to stray animals and to ensure that cats and dogs can be classified as owned animals, it is mandatory to register them in the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry database under the Veterinary Services, Plant Health, Food, and Feed Law. Thus, the concepts of “owned animal” and “stray animal” will be clearly defined.

CHP WILL TAKE THE NEW LAW TO CONSTITUTIONAL COURT

Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairman Özgür Özel announced that they would take the law, which includes regulations on stray animals, to the Constitutional Court. He stated, “This is already our duty. We will do this as soon as possible and with a request for a stay of execution.” Answering questions from the press in the lobby after the bill on stray animals was passed by the TBMM General Assembly, Özel said that the law is clearly unconstitutional, does not defend the right to life, and that they will evaluate the process with the Constitutional Court.

Expressing that they will work on the issue, Özel said, “A healthy environment is necessary for people. Considering that vaccinated street dogs act as a barrier against diseases such as rabies between wildlife and urban life, a great risk has been taken for public and community health. We will evaluate everything together and take the law to the Constitutional Court. This is already our duty. We will do this as soon as possible and with a request for a stay of execution.”

Özel also mentioned, “For four and a half years, the Constitutional Court has not implemented the stay of execution decision, which is an important achievement, in any of our applications.” He expressed his hope that the Constitutional Court would change this approach.

Thanking everyone who objected to the law, especially the opposition deputies and the CHP group, Özel said:
“Our group has been defending what they believe to be right and preventing wrongs with incredible performance for two and a half months. If it were not for the superior efforts and determination of the CHP group, euthanasia would have passed. The opposition united with social sensitivity. Many steps were taken back. The whole of the law is still very dangerous, but the initial version was a direct massacre law. These steps back were taken with the great efforts of the opposition and our group. This should be recognized.”

WE WILL NOT COMPLY WITH THE HIDDEN DIRECTIVE OF THE LAW

Özel stated that CHP municipalities will resist the “hidden directive” of the law, which he described as a call to “solve this problem, and if you cannot solve it, come and commit a massacre,” and will never comply with it. Özel said: “In the next process, we will build more shelters, vaccinate, neuter, and promote adoption. But it is impossible to fully fulfill this burden with the power of the municipality and with such limited resources. From now on, any negative outcome will be the responsibility of today’s irresponsible legislative approach. However, our municipalities will continue to do their part as they have done so far.”