No Country Can Become EU Member if Reintroduces Death Penalty - Mogherini

No country can become a member of the European Union if it has the death penalty, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said Monday when asked about Turkey considering reintroduction of the measure.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Late on Friday, Turkish authorities said that an attempted coup d'etat took place in the country. The coup was suppressed several hours later. Soon after the coup attempt, both Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that capital punishment could be reinstated in the country.

"Let me be very clear on one thing… No country can become an EU member state if it introduces death penalty," Mogherini told a briefing when asked about the situation in Turkey, a state that abolished capital punishment in 2004 to bring its legislation in line with the EU standards.

Late on Friday, the Turkish authorities said that an attempted coup d'etat took place in the country. The coup was suppressed several hours later.

The coup attempt was suppressed by early Saturday, with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim stating that all coup supporters were identified and would be apprehended as the country was returning to normal life. At least 208 people have been killed and at least 1,400 injured during the attempted coup, according to the country's foreign ministry.