Despite the opposition’s rejection and criticism, the Turkish parliament approved today, Sunday, the extension of the “anti-terrorism” law for one year, after a proposal submitted by the ruling Justice and Development Party deputies.
The controversial law allows For the government to dismiss civil servants on charges of belonging to a terrorist organization, what opponents considered a law akin to a state of emergency. By putting the law to a vote within a package of laws supported by the opposition and other parties in Parliament.
He explained, “They put poison inside the candy, by extending the powers of the state of emergency for a period of three years,” and he continued, “Initially, they declared a state of emergency for a period of time. Two years, and during these two years they went to a referendum and elections because they needed the emergency law amid fear, and pressure to win the elections.”
He also added that “after the elections they increased this pressure, of course they thought and consulted and decided to reduce the period And now as a result of our struggle and resistance to these materials, extend the materials related to the Savings Deposit Insurance Fundصندوق The government’s decision for a period of 3 years, as for the two articles related to emergency, reduced the extension to one year instead of three.”
“The authority has retreated from democracy”
In turn, Lotfi Turk Kat, head of the parliamentary bloc of the opposition Good Party, said that they had repeatedly discussed the extension of the anti-terror law, which is being used in an exaggerated manner.
He added that Turkey has been running for five years with such laws (in reference to the anti-terror law), and pointed out that “the ruling authority retreated from democracy and brought this law and governed by it.”
Turkey declared a two-year state of emergency after the failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016.
The state of emergency witnessed massive human rights violations and the dismissal of thousands of public officials due to alleged links to terrorism.
Opponents said that the imposition of the state of emergency has turned into a tool used by the Justice and Development Party led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to eliminate its critics under the guise of “fighting terrorism”.
Kilicdaroglu, President of the Republican People’s Party. “Block the Road to the Opposition”
(On the other hand, writer and journalist Taha Odehoglu confirmed that this step is to block the way for the opposition.
He added in a statement to Al-Arabiya Net that “the extension of the law is an attempt by the ruling party and its ally, the National Movement Party, to prevent Any steps taken by the opposition.”
It is noteworthy that the draft law includes the powers to dismiss government employees if they are accused of association with terrorist organizations such as Fethullah Gulen (the main accused of carrying out the coup attempt in July 2016) and the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party in Turkey.
The law also allows, as part of counter-terrorism measures, to detain suspects for up to twelve days.
The ruling Justice and Development Party initially sought to extend the law for 3 days. years, but he retracted after opposition criticism of the government that the next elections will take place during the validity of the law similar to the state of emergency.
