ANKARA, Turkey — The 10th European Regional Meeting of the United Nations' International Labor Organization (ILO), held Oct. 2-5 in Istanbul, was overshadowed by the protests of international trade unions and labor organizations, which boycotted the meeting.

Ahead of the gathering, representatives of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and the largest labor confederations of Germany and Britain visited Ankara in May for a series of meetings with the Turkish government, ministries and bar associations. The Turkish members of ITUC and ETUC — the Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (Turk-Is), the Confederation of Public Employees’ Trade Unions, the Revolutionary Trade Unions Confederation and the Hak-Is confederation — also took part in the meetings.

The main topic of the meetings was Turkey’s state of emergency, which has been in force since the failed coup attempt in July 2016, as well as the government’s restriction of democratic rights via legislative decrees, an instrument made available by the state of emergency. The mass dismissals of employees in the public sector and universities, the seizure of private companies and the imprisonment of tens of thousands of people dominated the trade unions’ talks with government officials. The trade unions demanded a return to normalcy and an end to practices related to closed associations, trade unions and civil society groups.

In a joint statement after the meetings, ITUC, ETUC and their Turkish affiliates urged Ankara to lift the state of emergency, put an end to mass expulsions and detentions, reopen the closed trade unions and nongovernmental organizations, and stop restricting democratic freedoms.