Turkish parliament to decide on state of emergency

By Coskun Ergul

ANKARA

A Turkish Prime Ministry’s motion to extend Turkey’s ongoing state of emergency for next three months has been submitted to the parliament on Tuesday.

The motion was advised by the National Security Council, which convened in Ankara on Monday with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the chair.

If the parliament approves the motion, the state of emergency would be extended for three months as of April 19, 2017 at 1.00 a.m. (2200GMT) Tuesday.

After last summer’s deadly coup attempt blamed on the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), which martyred 249 people and injured some 2,200 others, Turkey declared a state of emergency on July 20.

According to the Turkish Constitution, a state of emergency can be declared for a maximum period of six months.

To enact the state of emergency, the government must see serious indications of widespread violence that could interfere with Turkey's democratic environment or its citizens' basic rights and freedoms as established by the Constitution.