Watchdog

Thousands of people have protested in Istanbul against a controversial bill that would overturn men's convictions for child sex assault if they marry their victims.

AFP reports that at least 3,000 people took part in the demonstration on the city's Asian side on November 19.

The protesters held banners such as "AKP Take Your Hands Off My Body," a reference to the ruling party of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which introduced the bill.

The measures, which were approved in an initial parliamentary reading on December 17, will be voted on again in a second debate in the coming days.

If passed, the law would allow the release from prison of men guilty of assaulting a minor if the act was committed without "force, threat, or any other restriction on consent" and if the aggressor "marries the victim."

The legal age of consent in Turkey is 18.

Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters

A Kosovar opposition activist found dead in his cell this month committed suicide and no one else was involved, a prosecutor said on November 18.

Medical student Astrit Dehari's death triggered street protests after his nationalist Vetevendosje (VV) party called it murder by stangulation, accused the government of failing to protect him, and demanded an investigation.

But an autopsy determined that the "blockage of the upper respiratory tract" was "self-inflicted," Kosovo authorities said.

"All the evidence...shows that this case was a suicide," prosecutor Syle Hoxha said.

Prosecutor Hoxha said authorities had examined all the video footage and questioned 17 people, but they had found no evidence of a crime.

Dehari, 26, was arrested with five other members of the hard-line nationalist party in September on suspicion of being involved in a rocket-propelled-grenade attack on parliament.

The attack was launched as lawmakers were preparing to vote on a border deal with neighboring Montenegro, a condition of getting visa-free access to the European Union. No one was injured.

VV, the largest opposition party, opposes the deal, saying it hands over about 8,000 hectares of Kosovar territory to Montenegro.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP