The Big Smoke: Turkey’s Emergency Ends, New Laws Loom
What to know: Turkey’s 2016 emergency flag is striking down on July 18, but the opposition’s alarm says the real fire just keeps going on a different street.
Why the emergency flag was raised
- July 20, 2016 – the military launched a failed coup, storming Ankara and throwing Istanbul into chaos.
- President Recep Erdogan declared a state of emergency five days later. The normal 3‑month period was sneaky‑ly stretched by seven extensions.
During those years, the “safety” machine locked‑up 80 000 people and dismissed about 160 000 public servants. The purge hit those accused of following Fethullah Gulen (the US preacher blamed for the coup), Kurdish activists, and left‑wing folks. Even pro‑Kurdish politicians Figen Yuksekdag and Selahattin Demirtas are still behind bars.
Erdogan’s election promise
During the presidential showdown, Mr Erdogan assured voters that the emergency flag would come down. True. At 1 am Thursday (the night before 18), the parliament simply did not renew it – no extra paperwork, no “extension” request, just the usual bleeding‑out.
But the new “anti‑terror” laws might stick the flag into the next ghetto
The CHP (the main opposition party) is furiously pointing out that the new bill is basically a permanent emergency in disguise.
“This Bill turns temporary concerns into a permanent state of emergency for three years,” says CHP’s parliamentary head, Ozgur Ozel.
Key points of the new ticket:
- Three‑year ceiling on civil‑service dismissals for those tied to “terror” groups.
- After sunset, public protests are a no‑go zone—but can get a 3‑hour grace belt until midnight if they stay quiet.
- Local leaders can block people from entering or leaving a zone for 15 days on security grounds.
- Suspects can sit in jail 48 hours (or up to 4 days for repeat offenses) without charges.
- Those hold‑ups can be extended twice if evidence is hard to gather or the case is giant‑size.
In the tiny span between July 8 and the end of the emergency, 18,632 employees (including 8,998 police officers) were dismissed under the guise of “terror links.”
Why we’re freaking out
After Erdogan’s re‑election (with new executive powers that put his brain in the “boss” seat), the government ministries are now all in his pocket. While he says it’s about “streamlined governance,” critics call it one‑man rule.
Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul quipped: “The emergency flag may vanish, but our fight against terror will keep marching. Whether on a baseball field or a street‑corner, the drama continues.”
In short: The revolution‑flag’s out, but the next chapter is—if you’re a civil‑rights skeptic—still in the “red” exclamation marks.
