Turkey's National Security Council: Extend State of Emergency

Turkey’s National Security Council has advised that the government extend the state of emergency that has been on-going since a coup attempt on July 15, Anadolu news agency reports.

The council, which comprised Turkey’s top military brass and is chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, met for a six-hour session on Wednesday in the capital, Ankara. It also issued statements on the state of Turkish policy in Syria.

240 people died in the failed attempt by some factions within the military to topple the Erdogan government, and 2,200 were injured.

Since the state of emergency was imposed the government has clamped down hard on dissent and taken a range of highly controversial steps against journalists, academics and others who it says are suspicious. However, despite offering support to the government in the immediate aftermath of the violence, Turkish opposition groups are now criticising the government.

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the Republican People’s Party, has accused the government of seeking to “reshape” the state and “excluding the society which opposed the failed coup” Anadolu reports.

The state of emergency – which has been in place for three months – can be extended to a maximum of six months according to the constitution.

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