Deputies in the Turkish grand national assembly approved the legislation on Tuesday after a marathon overnight session as the government pushed to have it passed before the summer recess. Thousands have joined protests across Turkeycalling for the scrapping of an article that would allow some stray animals to be euthanised. Opposition lawmakers, animal welfare groups and others have called the bill the “massacre law”.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who now needs to sign the measure into law, thanked his ruling party and allied parties’ legislators who voted in favour of the legislation after an “intense and tiring” session.
“Despite the opposition’s provocations and campaigns based on lies and distortions, the national assembly once again listened to the people, refusing to ignore the cries of the silent majority,” he said.