Turkish Minute reports:

Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has brought a motion to Parliament that proposes rapists in Turkish jails be released if they marry their victims, a way out of prison for more than 4,000 inmates convicted of rape.

The motion was brought to the floor of the General Assembly and was approved by AKP deputies despite the nay votes of both the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).

So the raped women get to spend the rest of their lives being raped by the guys who raped them in the first place, so that those guys can get out of prison where they were placed because they raped women. It’s as if someone breaks into your house to grab all your books and coffee mugs, and then when they’re in jail for doing that they get to leave jail if they consent to take all your stuff. It’s a win-win for the taker, but not so much for the taker’s victim.

A majority of votes was lacking during the general assembly vote on the motion on Thursday, thus making it impossible to convert the motion to the status of a bill. At least 184 votes are needed in Parliament to pass a bill.

A second round of voting will take place on Friday.

I guess the women of Turkey will just have to stay home now.

Updating to add: Seth pointed out a BBC story which gives vital details.

A bill which would allow men accused of raping underage girls to be cleared if they marry the girl has been preliminarily backed by Turkish MPs.

The bill would pardon men only if they had sex without “force or threat” and if they married the victim.

Critics say it legitimises rape and child marriage, and lets off men who are aware of their crime.

It certainly does. It would be just a way for a guy to force an underage girl to marry him, thus ruining her entire life.

What are those MPs thinking? Is this that same old “Wull it was good enough for Mohammed so it’s blasphemy to say it’s not ok for our handsome young men”? Because that’s a terrible argument.