Will Turkey sacrifice even more civil rights to battle terrorism?
Turkey is planning measures that could suspend freedoms to achieve operational effectiveness with a controversial "legal shield" for soldiers.
Turkey's parliament is considering a bill that would significantly broaden military authority at the expense, opponents say, of individual freedoms and privacy.
Although Ankara has declared "mission accomplished" in places like Nusaybin, Sirnak and Yuksekova, clashes continue in Turkey’s southeast with groups affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which Turkey considers a terrorist organization.
When a two-year cease-fire with the PKK collapsed a year ago, Law 5442 of Provincial Governance was adopted. The law stipulates that if provincial governors cannot control disturbances in cities by using local police and gendarmerie, they can ask for military help. When clashes escalate, the military uses armored vehicles and tanks in urban areas.
But the military says Law 5442 doesn't provide a comprehensive legal basis for urban operations using heavy armor, which can cause major damages.
