This article first published on American Web Media.
Unfortunately, Turkey’s politics are no less polarized than those in the United States. In this situation, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoan intends to expand his powers even more by serving as both president and prime minister at the same time.
A sharply divided electorate can only agree on one thing as supporters celebrate and detractors scream. Following the discovery of a little dog with his tail and legs c.r.u.e.l.l.y hacked off in a Turkish woodland, lawmakers on all sides of the aisle have demanded justice.
Before the dog was discovered in Sakarya province, animal rights were not considered in this campaign.
That changed after photographs of the sad creature became extensively circulated on the internet. (The puppy was discovered alive, but died after emergency surgery a few days later.)
“We will take the law into consideration and assess it whether at home or on the street,” the president stated at a recent rally, emphasizing that a suspect had been charged with a crime. “There is nothing appropriate about this, but it is critical that this awareness be demonstrated.”
Animal rights organizations say Turkey’s animal welfare rules are too permissive, in part because more serious matters, such as the country’s two-to-three-year-long “state of emergency,” require more immediate attention.
Regardless, the government could more simply include such a clause in the constitution, and sources indicate that such a proposal is currently being considered.
Unfortunately, Erdoan has already been caught on video detailing his plans to rig the next election, so don’t hold your breath for any changes to Turkey’s animal welfare laws anytime soon.
