ANKARA, July 21 Turkey’s parliament formally approved a motion on Thursday establishing a three-month state of emergency in the country following last Friday’s failed military coup.
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Erdogan made the announcement on July 20 during a live television broadcast following meetings in Ankara with his cabinet and the country’s national security council. Turkey’s National Security Council is holding an emergency meeting following a coup attempt last week that was derailed by security forces and protesters loyal to the government.
After the failed uprising, Turkey’s elected government arrested or dismissed tens of thousands in the military, the courts, education and other sectors “everywhere you can think of”, one Turkish newspaper columnist wrote and declared a three-month state of emergency.
About 60,000 soldiers, police, judges, civil servants and teachers have been suspended, detained or are under investigation since the coup was put down.
Mr Erdogan had earlier said the new powers will give his government the tools it needs to rid the military of the “virus” of subversion.
Erdogan on Wednesday declared a three-month state of emergency following a bo.
Before announcing the state of emergency, Erdogan said the sweep was not yet over and that he believed foreign countries might have been involved in the attempt to overthrow him.
The state of emergency in Turkey will allow Erdogan to bypass parliament to pass laws, and to temporarily suspend any rights or freedoms they deem necessary to maintain order. “And we will never make” them. Martial law was imposed across the country for three years following a successful military coup in 1980.
The cabinet can declare the state of emergency nationwide or in parts of the country, for a maximum of six months, which can be renewed.
The government has said that people uninvolved with the attempted coup will be largely unaffected and there will be no restrictions on civil liberties and freedoms.
“We have been knocking on the European Union door for the past 53 years”.
Turkey often has named Gulen as the instigator of its turmoil and demands his extradition from the United States.
Scores of dismissals, forced resignations and accusations of involvement in the plot in the academic world have raised serious questions about whether Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) are using the opportunity to widen their crackdown on dissidents.
Germany called for the measure to be ended as quickly as possible, while an worldwide lawyers’ group warned Turkey against using it to subvert the rule of law and human rights, pointing to allegations of torture and ill-treatment of people held in the mass roundup.
Speaking ahead of the vote, CHP lawmaker Ozgur Ozel said the decision would amount to a “civilian coup” against Parliament and was a display of “ingratitude” to all the legislators who had gathered in the assembly Saturday to oppose the coup attempt.
Almost 10,000 people have now been arrested and about 60,000 civil service employees have been dismissed.
Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek has said there will be no interference with market freedoms.
“The Secretary-General urges the Turkish authorities, consistent with the assurances given, to do their utmost to ensure that the constitutional order and global human rights law are fully respected, in line with Turkey’s worldwide obligations”, he said in a statement.
Simsek added that all officials would be subjected to “proper judicial review” and would be “able to challenge conclusions at a court of law”.
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He said it is important that “the rule of law, a sense of proportion and commensurability are preserved” and that it is in Turkey’s interest to “keep the state of emergency only for the duration that is absolutely necessary and then immediately end it”.
