Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said a state of emergency that went into effect in the aftermath of a failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016 and has been extended several times will be extended again when it expires.
The state of emergency, known as OHAL, has been in force since July 20 of last year, after the putsch.
Responding to a question about the possibility of the extension of the state of emergency one more time during a TV program on Thursday night, Erdoğan said: “When the state of emergency expires, it will be extended again. There is no obstacle to that. France extends its state of emergency, and there is no outrage. Since we need it [state of emergency], the National Security Council will propose extending it and the Cabinet will make the necessary decision, and we will continue on our way.”
OHAL, which is criticized by human rights groups and the opposition for restricting rights and freedoms, has been extended three times so far.
Under emergency rule, the government has pressed ahead with many controversial decrees that have the force of the law and are not required to be approved by Parliament. In line with these decrees, over 135,000 people have been purged from state bodies on coup charges.