In a wide-ranging interview with Talk to Al Jazeera, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisted that Turkish democracy is not under threat, but said there could be more arrests in the wake of last week’s failed coup attempt.
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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the state of emergency in a speech late on Wednesday night, five days after the violent power grab that left more than 200 people dead.
The Associated Press reported Thursday that the government arrested almost 10,000 people and closed hundreds of schools.
Since last week’s failed coup, thousands of people have been arrested and more than 600 schools closed. The cleric has strong denied any knowledge of the attempted coup.
The emergency state was implemented following a failed coup last weekend during which over 250 were killed.
He is also a recluse with a heart condition and diabetes who lives in a country estate in the USA state of Pennsylvania.
And they also warned Turkey over its decision to suspend the European Convention of Human Rights, saying it must stick to the conditions by which a suspension is permitted. It informed the Secretary General of the Council of Europe about a series of emergency measures that would involve the derogation of the human rights convention. Other footage, obtained from the Turkish Dogan news agency, showed a mob attacking surrendering soldiers over the same bridge after daybreak.
The declaration could be used to extend the detention of almost 10,000 people rounded up since the failed coup. Military officers assume authority over an area or all of the country from the police.
The main opposition Republican People’s Party, CHP, slammed the state of emergency move as going too far.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday he is preoccupied with the state of Turkey’s democracy, and that has been communicated to the government. The clampdown comes in response to a bloody military insurrection that almost succeeded as a helicopter gunship fired on the house of parliament and the president said he evaded capture by a matter of minutes. “There will be no restriction of movement other than for the suspects”, Simsek said.
The UK Foreign Office noted the change in advice, but said the situation appeared to be “calming” following the attempted coup. “However, I am telling them that there is a global threat, an attempt to overthrow the legitimate government, there is no religion and no religious values here”, Yildirim said on Monday.
But rights groups and Western leaders have raised concerns that they will be used to achieve the exact opposite – a rollback on democratic freedoms.
Gardner pointed out that basic rights and freedoms are protected by article 15 of Turkey’s constitution even under a state of emergency, however he says there’s no guarantee the authorities will abide by the letter of the law.
It allowed officials to set curfews, issue search and arrest warrants and restricts gatherings as the security forces fought Kurdish rebels in the region.
Martial law was imposed across the country for three years following a successful military coup in 1980.
Mr Erdogan vowed to exact revenge on the coup plotters, and on Tuesday, Turkey’s Justice Ministry sent the USA a dossier amid the calls to extradite Gulen. The lieutenant was one of about 30 soldiers who government officials have said were involved in the attack on the hotel in the resort of Marmais.
In Greece, a court sentenced eight Turkish military personnel who fled there aboard a helicopter during the coup attempt to two months in prison for entering the country illegally.
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Turkey previously demanded their return to stand trial for participation in Friday’s coup attempt.
