ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish lawmakers on Thursday began debating a bill that bans all alcohol advertising and tightens restrictions on sales of such beverages — a proposal the government insists is aimed at protecting the young from the ills of spirits but which secularists say is an example of the Islamic-based ruling party’s encroachment on personal freedoms.
The proposal bars the sale of alcohol anywhere within 100 meters (yards) of mosques, schools and other educational centers, which could lead to the eventual cancellation of several establishments’ alcohol licenses. Advertising alcoholic products in any form would also be banned, and there would be stricter penalties for drunken driving.
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