Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has criticised the death penalty issued against 528 people in Egypt, saying it would cause “deeper polarisation”. In a televised interview on 9 April, Davutoglu said Turkey stood with the Egyptian people since the beginning of the unrest which followed the removal of democratically elected president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. “The death penalty decision will not provide stability in Egypt, but cause a deeper polarisation,” Davutoglu said.
Davutoglu also welcomed 9 April afternoon’s unanimous declaration by Turkey’s National Assembly condemning the death sentences and urging Egypt not to implement the decisions. Turkey’s National Assembly adopted a joint declaration that condemned the death sentences. Signed by all political parties represented in the parliament, the declaration urged Egypt’s administration not to implement the sentences.