The brutal killing and dismembering of a puppy in Turkey has paused the political debate between parties as the nation prepares to go to the polls to vote for their leader.
The tiny dog, whose four paws and tail had been cut off, was found by walkers in a forest in the Sapanca district in the northwestern province of Sakarya and taken to a vet for treatment.
The wounded animal died during surgery on Friday – after fighting for its life for two days.
President Tayyip Erdogan told an election rally in Istanbul on Sunday that police had detained a construction machine operator on Saturday in relation to the puppy’s death.
The horrible killing of a puppy has caused outrage in Turkey, with politicians voicing support for a new law to prevent violence against stray animals
Erdogan pledged that Turkey’s animal rights laws would be amended after the June 24 vote in which he is aiming to win a second term.
The case has outraged the country and grabbed the news agenda ahead of next week’s elections but the senseless killing has turned political.
The incident prompted a rare show of unity among Turkey’s political parties and presidential candidates, who have been trading barbs for weeks ahead of Sunday’s parliamentary and presidential elections.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to change animals rights laws if he is re-elected as the torture and killing of a gorgeous puppy outraged the nation
‘Whether at home or on the street, we will take the law into consideration and evaluate it. This operator was arrested today. The authorities in Sapanca ordered his arrest,’ President Erdogan said.
‘There is nothing acceptable about this, but it is very important to show this awareness.’
As images and videos of the puppy drew outrage on social media, both government officials and opposition politicians condemned the act and have called for stricter measures against those mistreating animals.
The law will encompass new rules on the way stray dogs are handled by the public, with more strict penalties for anyone who abuses them.
The operator of a heavy duty vehicle working in the area was detained, announced Sakarya Chief Prosecutor Lütfi Dursun, after the puppy succumbed to its injuries
Animal rights groups say Turkey’s punishments for animal cruelty are too lenient. An amendment to animal rights legislation has been on the parliament’s agenda for months, but little progress has been made.
‘This brutality against a small being is a painful manifestation of the loss of values in our country. I hope to God that those who hurt a small puppy find what they deserve in the afterlife,’ Iyi Party leader and presidential candidate Meral Aksener said on Twitter.
‘If only they would do so in this world with the correct laws as well,’ she said.