Turkey to extend state of emergency for a sixth time

Turkey's top security body, National Security Council, has recommended that government extend the state of emergency by three more months.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister and government spokesperson Bekir Bozdag gives a speech during a press conference after cabinet meeting in Ankara, Turkey on January 17, 2018.
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Turkish Deputy Prime Minister and government spokesperson Bekir Bozdag gives a speech during a press conference after cabinet meeting in Ankara, Turkey on January 17, 2018.

Turkey's top security body on Wednesday recommended extending the state of emergency for the sixth time since a failed 2016 coup.

The state of emergency first came into force on July 20, 2016, just five days after the military coup attempt by Fetullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO) led by US-based cleric Fetullah Gulen. 

The state of emergency should be extended for three more months, a statement said after a National Security Council (MGK) meeting in Ankara chaired by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"The threats that our country continues to face have made the extension of the state of emergency by a further three months imperative," Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag told journalists Wednesday. 

The latest extension was due to end on Friday.

Gulen denies the charges but authorities have used the emergency powers to crack down on those suspected of links to Gulen as well as PKK militants.

Since the attempted coup, over 55,000 suspects have been arrested while more than 140,000 public sector workers including academics and prosecutors have been suspended or sacked.

The prolonged state of emergency has often come under fierce criticism from Ankara's Western allies, who fear the erosion of human rights. 

But Turkey insists it is dealing with an extraordinary threat that demands such a measure.

The coup attempt killed 240 people and injured nearly 2,200 others.

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