Turkish Parliament Approves Extension of State of Emergency for Another Three Months

Reports indicate that the Turkish Parliament agreed on Tuesday to extend the state of emergency in the country for another three months. Following the failed coup in Turkey on July 15 (July 26 of this year), President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a state of emergency for three months. Previously, the state of emergency had also been extended in October, and its validity was set to expire in sixteen days. After the failed coup in July, the Turkish government has dismissed over 110,000 civil servants, including military personnel, judges, prosecutors, journalists, academics, local officials, and Kurdish politicians, on charges of supporting the coup. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government accuses Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish cleric residing in the U.S., of orchestrating the failed coup. According to AFP, the state-run Anadolu Agency had previously reported that 41,000 people had been detained since the failed coup. According to Reuters, the widespread crackdown following the failed coup in July has soured Turkey's relations with the European Union. A few months before these events, Turkey and the EU had reached an agreement to expedite Turkey's membership negotiations in exchange for controlling the wave of migrants towards Europe and facilitating visa-free travel for Turkish citizens to Europe. However, the EU has been critical of the post-coup actions in Turkey, stating that Erdogan's government is using the state of emergency to suppress dissent and that his accusations against Gülen supporters lack necessary documentation and evidence. According to AFP, the state of emergency broadly allows the government to dismiss public sector employees and close media outlets, institutions, and associations. Previously, the European Parliament passed a resolution to suspend negotiations regarding Turkey's EU membership. Although this resolution is not binding, reports suggest it will exert pressure on the European Commission, which is the negotiating body with Ankara. Despite this resolution, countries like France and Germany support the continuation of negotiations, believing that halting them could jeopardize the EU-Turkey agreement on controlling migration. In this context, thousands of Turkish police have been suspended from duty on charges of connections to the coup, three months after the failed coup. The first trial session for those accused in the failed coup took place in Istanbul, and the editor of one of the major opposition newspapers in Turkey was arrested. Over 10,000 more people in Turkey have been dismissed in connection with the coup.