The moves amplified global concern Erdogan was using the coup plot as a pretext to crack down on opponents, with Turkey’s Western allies urging the authorities in the strategic North Atlantic Treaty Organisation state to obey the rule of law.
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Erdogan also dismissed suggestions that Turkish democracy was under any threat and that he was becoming authoritarian. The cleric has denied any knowledge of the attempted coup.
Turkey has demanded Gulen’s extradition from the United States.
The state of emergency announcement needs to be published in a state gazette and lawmakers have to approve it for it to take effect, according to analysts. The Council of Europe said it had been informed of Turkey’s decision, and that the convention will still apply, but that individual exceptions will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Eight Turkish soldiers who fled to Greece in a military helicopter after last week’s failed coup fear they will be killed if they are sent back home, one of their lawyers said on Thursday. Footage from CCTV cameras above the Bosporus Bridge in Istanbul showed soldiers shooting at a man who had his hands up as he approached tanks that were blocking traffic.
More than 200 people were killed and over a thousand injured during Friday’s attempt to remove the government from power.
Turkish state media say a further 32 judges and two military officers have been detained by authorities during the crackdown on alleged conspirators following last week’s failed coup. Citing France’s ongoing state of emergency, he said European critics could take “a lesson in democracy” from Turkey.
Speaking with reporters after the defense ministers meeting at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the meeting focused on what happens after the defeat of Islamic State in terms of stabilization and reconstruction.
Simsek said the government will go after “rogue” elements within the state and that there could have been “carnage in the streets” had the coup succeeded.
“The current allegations of torture and ill-treatment of detainees and arbitrary arrests already point to serious violations of human rights”, he said.
“There will be no curfews”.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek says the country’s civil service won’t suffer as a result of large-scale dismissals or suspensions of government officials in the wake of the failed coup.
“The coup attempt was rebuffed with parliament and opposition support, and the government could have fought this with more measured methods”.
“People are being pursued without any evidence that they participated in this coup”, he said, adding that the government is “targeting people for their political affiliations. It’s not upholding the rule of law”.
The declaration, legal under the Turkish constitution and approved by parliament, still raises concerns about human rights in the country.
A state of emergency has never been nationwide though it was declared in the restive southeast of the country between 1987 and 2002.
Martial law was imposed across the country for three years following a successful military coup in 1980.
Erdogan blames a network of followers of an exiled US-based cleric, Fethullah Gulen, for the attempted coup and Ankara has said it will seek Gulen’s extradition.
He is one of almost 30 soldiers government officials said were involved in the attack on the hotel in Marmaris resort where Erdogan was vacationing.
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The attackers arrived minutes after he left the place, according to the government’s account.
