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Turkey’s state of emergency

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared a three-month state of emergency from Thursday, saying it was needed to hunt down the "terrorists" behind last week's attempted coup.

Ankara said it would also suspend the European Convention on Human Rights, pointing out that France had taken similar action and declared a state of emergency after jihadist attacks.

The European rights charter allows signatory states to derogate some obligations during "war or other public emergency threatening the life of the nation".

Erdogan said the emergency measure was needed "to remove swiftly all the elements of the terrorist organisation involved in the coup attempt" — but he also vowed Turkey would make no "compromises on democracy".

Rights group Amnesty International warned the steps must not "be used as a pretext to further clamp down on freedom of expression and protections against arbitrary detention and torture".

The opposition pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party charged Erdogan's move "shows the coup attempt might have been blocked, but the desire to rule the country with coup-like, authoritative mentality is not".

International law says such emergency measures must only be declared to counter genuine security threats to the nation, and be proportionate in scope and duration.

How is an emergency decreed?

A man reads newspapers frontpages reading
A man reads newspapers frontpages reading "3 months state of emergency" near a shop on July 21, 2016 in Istanbul, following the failed military coup attempt of July 15
Ozan Kose, AFP

Erdogan announced the measure shortly before midnight Wednesday after national security council and cabinet meetings.

The Turkish constitution's Article 120 allows a state of emergency to be imposed in times of turmoil.

It can be triggered "in the event of serious indications of widespread acts of violence aimed at the destruction of the free democratic order ... or of fundamental rights and freedoms, or serious deterioration of public order because of acts of violence".

The declaration entered into force with its publication in the Official Gazette early Thursday and was formally approved hours later by parliament, sailing through by a wide margin of 346-115 votes.

What concrete steps are planned?

Pro Erdogan supporters shout slogans during a rally at Kizilay Square in Ankara on July 20  2016  fo...
Pro Erdogan supporters shout slogans during a rally at Kizilay Square in Ankara on July 20, 2016, following the failed military coup attempt of July 15
Dimitar Dilkoff, AFP/File

A state of emergency gives broad powers to the executive, allowing the Turkish president and his Council of Ministers to rule by decree, and increases the jurisdiction of governors.

The constitution does not detail other steps but says "the exercise of fundamental rights and freedoms can be partially or fully suspended" as long as this does not violate international law.

Governments have in the past limited the freedoms of speech, movement and assembly and censored media during emergencies.

Amnesty said it feared Turkish authorities could use it to extend the period of pre-charge detention, impose arbitrary restrictions on expression and peaceful assembly, and deny the right of civil servants to appeal their suspensions and dismissals.

Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus assured journalists that the government did not plan a civil rights crackdown.

Asked whether there may be curfews, he said: "Very clearly no. This is not a declaration of martial law."

Hikmet Sami Turk, a former justice and defence minister, told AFP that emergency powers "open the way for the removal of some rights and freedoms".

"Exceptional measures can be taken ... but they cannot contradict basic principles" including the right to life and prohibition of torture.

How long will it last?

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus  pictured in January 2016  has assured journalists tha...
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus, pictured in January 2016, has assured journalists that the government does not plan a civil rights crackdown
Adem Altan, AFP/File

The Turkish constitution provides that a state of emergency can last six months — and be either lifted or extended by repeated four-month periods by parliament.

Erdogan announced that the state of emergency would be introduced for three months.

Kurtulmus then assured media that "we want to end state of emergency as soon as possible.

"If conditions return to normal, we think it will take one or one and half month period at the maximum," he said. "I hope there will be no need for further extension."

Turkey previously lifted its last state of emergency in 2002.

It had been imposed in 1987 in provinces in the southeast for the fight against Kurdish militants.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared a three-month state of emergency from Thursday, saying it was needed to hunt down the “terrorists” behind last week’s attempted coup.

Ankara said it would also suspend the European Convention on Human Rights, pointing out that France had taken similar action and declared a state of emergency after jihadist attacks.

The European rights charter allows signatory states to derogate some obligations during “war or other public emergency threatening the life of the nation”.

Erdogan said the emergency measure was needed “to remove swiftly all the elements of the terrorist organisation involved in the coup attempt” — but he also vowed Turkey would make no “compromises on democracy”.

Rights group Amnesty International warned the steps must not “be used as a pretext to further clamp down on freedom of expression and protections against arbitrary detention and torture”.

The opposition pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party charged Erdogan’s move “shows the coup attempt might have been blocked, but the desire to rule the country with coup-like, authoritative mentality is not”.

International law says such emergency measures must only be declared to counter genuine security threats to the nation, and be proportionate in scope and duration.

How is an emergency decreed?

A man reads newspapers frontpages reading

A man reads newspapers frontpages reading “3 months state of emergency” near a shop on July 21, 2016 in Istanbul, following the failed military coup attempt of July 15
Ozan Kose, AFP

Erdogan announced the measure shortly before midnight Wednesday after national security council and cabinet meetings.

The Turkish constitution’s Article 120 allows a state of emergency to be imposed in times of turmoil.

It can be triggered “in the event of serious indications of widespread acts of violence aimed at the destruction of the free democratic order … or of fundamental rights and freedoms, or serious deterioration of public order because of acts of violence”.

The declaration entered into force with its publication in the Official Gazette early Thursday and was formally approved hours later by parliament, sailing through by a wide margin of 346-115 votes.

What concrete steps are planned?

Pro Erdogan supporters shout slogans during a rally at Kizilay Square in Ankara on July 20  2016  fo...

Pro Erdogan supporters shout slogans during a rally at Kizilay Square in Ankara on July 20, 2016, following the failed military coup attempt of July 15
Dimitar Dilkoff, AFP/File

A state of emergency gives broad powers to the executive, allowing the Turkish president and his Council of Ministers to rule by decree, and increases the jurisdiction of governors.

The constitution does not detail other steps but says “the exercise of fundamental rights and freedoms can be partially or fully suspended” as long as this does not violate international law.

Governments have in the past limited the freedoms of speech, movement and assembly and censored media during emergencies.

Amnesty said it feared Turkish authorities could use it to extend the period of pre-charge detention, impose arbitrary restrictions on expression and peaceful assembly, and deny the right of civil servants to appeal their suspensions and dismissals.

Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus assured journalists that the government did not plan a civil rights crackdown.

Asked whether there may be curfews, he said: “Very clearly no. This is not a declaration of martial law.”

Hikmet Sami Turk, a former justice and defence minister, told AFP that emergency powers “open the way for the removal of some rights and freedoms”.

“Exceptional measures can be taken … but they cannot contradict basic principles” including the right to life and prohibition of torture.

How long will it last?

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus  pictured in January 2016  has assured journalists tha...

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus, pictured in January 2016, has assured journalists that the government does not plan a civil rights crackdown
Adem Altan, AFP/File

The Turkish constitution provides that a state of emergency can last six months — and be either lifted or extended by repeated four-month periods by parliament.

Erdogan announced that the state of emergency would be introduced for three months.

Kurtulmus then assured media that “we want to end state of emergency as soon as possible.

“If conditions return to normal, we think it will take one or one and half month period at the maximum,” he said. “I hope there will be no need for further extension.”

Turkey previously lifted its last state of emergency in 2002.

It had been imposed in 1987 in provinces in the southeast for the fight against Kurdish militants.

AFP
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With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.

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