Chairman of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said on Sunday that a civilian coup took place in Turkey on July 20, 2016 with the declaration of a state of emergency in the country.
Speaking to fellow party members in Ankara, Kılıçdaroğlu stated that he had already called the failed coup attempt of July 15 a “controlled coup.”
In the immediate aftermath of the coup, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan put the blame on the Gülen movement, and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) initiated a massive purge that led to strong suspicions of previously prepared profiling lists.
“What was done with the state of emergency is a civilian coup. We are going through a coup process,” Kılıçdaroğlu pointed out, comparing the situation with the bloody coup of Sept. 12, 1980. “At the time, it was the soldiers who did it. Now it is civilians,” Turkey’s main opposition leader said as he urged for the exposure of the political force behind the coup attempt of July 15.
According to Kılıçdaroğlu, the current regime came up with amendments to the constitution just like the perpetrators of the 1980 coup put a new constitution to a referendum.
Under the state of emergency, rights and freedoms have been suspended and suspects remain in custody for up to 30 days and without access to a lawyer for up to five days.
Tens of thousands of people, including academics, have been dismissed from government positions by means of state of emergency decrees.