Turkey declares a state of emergency for three months
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Turkey declares a state of emergency for three months
ANKARA, Turkey —
Turkey declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, a move that
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said would enable the state to act faster
against those who plotted a failed coup.
In
a late-night televised address, Erdogan, who has been carrying out a
large-scale purge of the country’s institutions, sought to reassure the
country that the measure — which would be in force for three months —
will protect democratic freedoms. But the move consolidates more power
in the president’s hands, allowing him to rule by decree.
For the state of emergency to be implemented, the decision must be approved by parliament.
The
United States and Europe have urged Turkey to follow the rule of law
and maintain democratic order in the wake of the attempted power grab
that saw a renegade part of the armed forces hijack aircraft and attack
key military and government buildings last week. Turkey’s
countermeasures have affected more than 50,000 people — judges, civil
servants, military, police and others — as the country’s leaders seek to
root out opponents and perceived internal dissent.
The
government is presenting the measures as an effort to confront a
wide-ranging conspiracy led by a U.S.-based Turkish cleric, Fethullah
Gulen, a former ally of Erdogan whom Turkey accuses of running a
terrorist organization. Critics, however, claim that Erdogan’s
government is using the coup attempt as an excuse to eliminate the last
vestiges of opposition to its rule.
“The
cleansing is continuing, and we remain very determined,” Erdogan said.
He described a “virus” within the Turkish military and state
institutions that had spread like “cancer.”
Article
120 of the Turkish constitution allows for a state of emergency to be
announced in the event of an act of violence intended to abolish
democracy or cripple fundamental rights and freedoms, Erdogan said. The
declaration will enable Turkey to “take the most efficient steps” in
order to remove threats to “democracy, to the rule of law and to the
freedoms of the citizens in our country,” he said.
The
crackdown against alleged Gulenists has showed no signs of relenting
and continued on Wednesday as Turkey issued a ban on professional travel
for all academics, opened investigations into military courts and
closed schools.
At least 262 military
judges and prosecutors were suspended as part of an investigation by the
Defense Ministry into all personnel in its judiciary, the private NTV
broadcaster reported. The Education Ministry said it was closing
626 private schools and other institutions that are under investigation
for “crimes against the constitutional order,” state-run Anadolu news
agency reported.
Almost a third of
Turkey’s top military generals have been charged in the coup plot.
Turkish government officials have indicated that authorities may move to
take more control over the armed forces.
The
military has long seen itself as the guardian of secularism in this
mostly Muslim country and has staged a series of coups in past decades,
but its power has been gradually diminished. Thousands of Turks took to
the streets to prevent another coup, but the crackdown has raised fears
that Erdogan — who described the plot as a “gift from God” — will use it
as an opportunity to make the government more authoritarian.
“The
armed forces . . . will act in unison with the government,” Erdogan
said, hinting that civil control of the military — long a subject of
debate in Turkey — could be expanded.
According
to a senior Turkish intelligence official, Turkish authorities have
begun to arrest defense attaches stationed in several countries abroad
who might have been involved with the attempted putsch.
Analysts have raised fears that Erdogan may be moving toward establishing a one-party state.
A Turkish intelligence official said he believes elements of the Gulen movement have infiltrated opposition political parties.
According to the official, Turkish intelligence estimates that at least 100,000 people were involved in planning the coup.
Gulen,
the cleric accused of inspiring the coup attempt, has denied any link
to the plot, implying instead that Erdogan staged it as part of a bid to
consolidate power. Gulen lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania,
and his backers operate education networks in Turkey, the United States
and elsewhere.
Turkey has requested Gulen’s extradition from the United States.
In
Washington, Secretary of State John F. Kerry said the Justice
Department has jurisdiction over the issue. “They will have to make
their judgments applying our legal standards to whatever has been put
forward,” he said.
The travel restrictions
on educators officially apply to work-related trips, the state
broadcaster TRT reported. “There are no restrictions to personal
travel,” said a senior Turkish official, who spoke on condition of
anonymity in line with government protocol. He described the travel ban
as a “temporary measure.”
But
some professors and others in academic fields claim that their
administrators have told them they cannot leave the country for any
reason. Several university professors also confirmed that their
supervisors told them to cancel vacations and other leave plans
indefinitely.
The travel ban came a day
after more than 15,000 education workers were suspended and resignations
were demanded for all university deans. Turkey has also revoked the
licenses of 21,000 teachers.
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