Turkey to Suspend European Convention on Human Rights

The Turkish government notified the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe (CoE) on Thursday that it intends to temporarily suspend the European Convention on Human Rights in the country.

The the state-run Anadolu news agency quoted remarks by Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus who said the move was akin to France’s derogation from the ECHR in November 2015 after the Bataclan attacks.

U.S. President Barack Obama has urged Erdogan to ensure the investigations and prosecution of the coup’s perpetrators are conducted in ways that reinforce public confidence in democratic institutions and the rule of law. Under the current circumstances such an extension could further undermine protections against ill-treatment as well as the right to a fair trial.

Tens of thousands of people have been arrested or fired since the coup attempt, including soldiers, teachers, judges, government personnel, and high-ranking military officials.

The Turkish state of emergency will allow Erdogan and the cabinet to bypass parliament in passing new laws and to limit or suspend rights and freedoms as they deem necessary.

Emergency measures were last removed in 2002, when they were lifted in the regions of Diyarbakir and Sirnak following years of conflict between Kurdish militants and state security forces.

Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said the state of emergency was a targeted effort to prevent another coup, but the announcement follows warnings from observers that Turkey’s response to the uprising will be a test of its commitment to human rights.

After the election cycle, many believe that this failed coup and the ensuing state of emergency provide Erdogan with further grounds for tightening his grip on power in the country, regardless of his words to the contrary.

Hundreds of Erdogan supporters filled public venues across Turkey, including Istanbul’s Taksim Square, where his statement was carried live on big screens.

Jagland said the Turkish government would continue to inform him about the measures taken. At least 24 coup plotters were also killed, officials said.

Erdogan won’t miss the chance to use the coup to “strengthen his grip on Turkey”, Ali Rizk, a Middle East expert, told RT.

Social media users responded in kind, calling the state of emergency a “presidential system for three months” and a “complete and thorough power grab”. “With these particular developments taking place, I do expect that Turkey will walk more and more on the way of an authoritarian police state”, Rizk said.