Erdogan puts an end to two years of emergency rule

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has declared that the state of emergency be lifted.

Following the attempted assassination on Erdogan organized by the CIA and the subsequent military coup on 15 July 2018, a state of emergency was declared. This was supposed to sunset in three months but was extended seven times.

The Turkish authorities used the state of emergency as an opportunity to purge the Administration and society of elements hostile to the AKP (Erdogan’s party), in particular, those linked to the fundamentalist preacher Fetullah Gulen.

Fetullah Gulen participated in the conquest of the power of President Erdogan, but remained faithful to the US. This caused him to break away from the current Turkish president.

From 15 July 2016 to present, more than 150 000 civil servants have been fired. More than 80 000 citizens have been incarcerated and to make space for them, the administration of the penitentiaries had to release those detained for violating ordinary criminal law. At least 28 000 people opposed to Erdogan have been sentenced.

Next week the Turkish Great National Assembly should pass ordinary law that is relevant to the state of emergency. Such provisions would probably include a ban on nocturnal demonstrations and allowing the State to continue to fire civil servants without cause.