The Turkish Parliament on Tuesday extended for three more months a state of emergency declared in the aftermath of a failed coup attempt in Turkey on July 15, 2016, the fifth such extension since it was originally put in force.
Following a meeting of Turkey’s National Security Council (MGK) chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the presidential palace in Ankara, which recommended a three-month extension of they ongoing state of emergency, a motion to extend emergency rule was submitted to the Parliament Speaker’s Office on Tuesday and approved by the General Assembly.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) voted in favor of the extension, while the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) were against it.
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, close to 150,000 people have been purged from state bodies on coup charges.
Bianet reported on Tuesday that the MGK recommended extension of the state of emergency for three months, addressing the fight against PKK/PYD-YPG (Kurdistan Workers’ Party/Democratic Union Party-People’s Protection Units), ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) and faith-based Gülen movement which AKP government blame for the failed coup last year. The movement strongly denies accusations.
Following the coup attempt last year, the AKP government declared emergency rule in Turkey, on July 20, 2016, which became effective with a government decree issued on July 23, 2016. It was extended four times for another three months on Oct. 19, Jan.19, April 19 and July 20.
The AKP issued a number of government decrees through which tens of thousands of academics, politicians, teachers, doctors, officials, businessmen, artists and journalists have been purged due to their real or alleged connections to the Gülen movement as well as opponents from liberal and left groups in Turkey.