Turkey: NGOs protest against headscarf law

In Saturday?s second round of votes on the amendment of two articles of the constitution, the bill was passed with 411 votes for and 103 votes against. Articles 10 and 42 have thus been changed to allow women to attend university wearing a headscarf, albeit tied in a prescribed fashion (under the chin). The bill for amendment had been brought by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). In the vote, the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) also supported amendment.

During the voting session in parliament, a protest organised by 76 NGOs took place at the Sihhiye Square in Ankara under the slogan ?Independence and Laicism Rally.? According to police numbers, the protesters numbered between 25 and 30,000.

Articles 10 and 42 amended
The amended Article 10, which deals with equality before the law, reads as follows: ?State organs and administrative posts have to abide by the rule of equality before the law in all public procedures and public services.?

Article 42, which relates to the right to education, has been amended thus: ?Nobody can be deprived of exercising their right to higher education for a reason not specified in the law. Restrictions that apply to this right are to be stated by law.?

It is expected that President Abdullah Gül, who is to receive the amendments on the 1th February, will pass them without delay.

The Republican People?s Party (CHP) has announced that it would appeal to the Constitutional Court to challenge the amendments.

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