Skip to main content

Turks on both sides split over extending state of emergency

Turkey's state of emergency is set to expire next month, and political voices both in the government and in the opposition are split over its renewal.
Plainclothes police officers detain demonstrators during a protest against the detention of two hunger-striking teachers in Ankara, Turkey, June 16, 2017. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTS17CBV

Turkey is debating whether to extend its state of emergency by another three months. The parliament imposed the state of emergency known as “OHAL,” its Turkish acronym, in the aftermath of last year’s coup attempt. OHAL has been extended three times since July 2016 and the current term is supposed to expire by July 19.

As Al-Monitor’s Mahmut Bozarslan pointed out in July 2016, the current state of emergency is not Turkey’s first. From 1987 through 2002, during the fighting between the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and government forces, the primarily Kurdish parts of southeast Turkey came under a state of emergency. During that period, arrests, property seizures and deportations without a court order became commonplace. For Turkish citizens in the southeast, it meant not only years of lost economic and social opportunity but also fleeing one’s home. For Turkey in general, OHAL and the fighting between the government and the PKK have cost tens of thousands of lives and billions of dollars.

The current state of emergency has been less destructive, but only relatively. Since 2016, more than 100,000 government employees — civil servants, military personnel, police officers and teachers — have been sacked for their alleged association with the Pennsylvania-based preacher Fethullah Gulen. Many Turks refer to Gulen and his followers as the Fethullah Gulen Terror Organization (FETO) and accuse them of leading last year’s coup attempt. Nearly 50,000 people remain in jail pending trial. Several thousand politicians with the predominantly Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party are among them.

Turkey’s largest English-language daily newspaper Hurriyet Daily News argued June 27 that the government and the opposition are split on extending OHAL on July 19. Turkish views on the matter, however, are variegated and complex.

Within the government, Minister of Economy Nihat Zeybekci is one of the strongest proponents for ending the state of emergency. In the aftermath of its first extension in October 2016, Zeybekci said he had spoken out against it. Last April, Zeybekci said Turkey should “get rid of OHAL at the first opportunity.” Zeybekci’s logic is straightforward: International and local investors are too timid to park their money in a country where even the government acknowledges that the times are dangerous and uncertain. For the same reason, the state of emergency hurts consumer confidence. Zeybekci is not the only member of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government who advocates for its end.

Meanwhile, OHAL does have its advocates in the opposition. Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chairman Devlet Bahceli, who has established a close partnership with the AKP since the coup attempt, came out in favor of extending it. The MHP leader said, “The struggle against the PKK and FETO should not ease.” Bahceli also criticized the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) for its protests against the AKP government, claiming that the CHP’s actions aid the Gulenists.

Turkey’s state of emergency is likely to be extended before July 19, but it is likely going to hurt the country in the long term.

In March, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe warned Turkey that its emergency policies could lead to a formal investigation of human rights abuses and place the country on a watch list currently populated by other nations with terrible human rights records, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia and Belarus. Indeed, the Turkish police’s June 2017 arrest of Amnesty International’s local representative, Taner Kilic, and American pastor Andrew Brunson for allegedly aiding and abetting PKK and FETO shows that Turkey’s state of emergency is losing its focus and uprooting the lives of innocent people.

Join hundreds of Middle East professionals with Al-Monitor PRO.

Business and policy professionals use PRO to monitor the regional economy and improve their reports, memos and presentations. Try it for free and cancel anytime.

Already a Member? Sign in

Free

The Middle East's Best Newsletters

Join over 50,000 readers who access our journalists dedicated newsletters, covering the top political, security, business and tech issues across the region each week.
Delivered straight to your inbox.

Free

What's included:
Our Expertise

Free newsletters available:

  • The Takeaway & Week in Review
  • Middle East Minute (AM)
  • Daily Briefing (PM)
  • Business & Tech Briefing
  • Security Briefing
  • Gulf Briefing
  • Israel Briefing
  • Palestine Briefing
  • Turkey Briefing
  • Iraq Briefing
Expert

Premium Membership

Join the Middle East's most notable experts for premium memos, trend reports, live video Q&A, and intimate in-person events, each detailing exclusive insights on business and geopolitical trends shaping the region.

$25.00 / month
billed annually

Become Member Start with 1-week free trial
What's included:
Our Expertise AI-driven

Memos - premium analytical writing: actionable insights on markets and geopolitics.

Live Video Q&A - Hear from our top journalists and regional experts.

Special Events - Intimate in-person events with business & political VIPs.

Trend Reports - Deep dive analysis on market updates.

All premium Industry Newsletters - Monitor the Middle East's most important industries. Prioritize your target industries for weekly review:

  • Capital Markets & Private Equity
  • Venture Capital & Startups
  • Green Energy
  • Supply Chain
  • Sustainable Development
  • Leading Edge Technology
  • Oil & Gas
  • Real Estate & Construction
  • Banking

We also offer team plans. Please send an email to pro.support@al-monitor.com and we'll onboard your team.

Already a Member? Sign in

Turkey Briefing Turkey Briefing

Turkey Briefing

Top Turkey stories in your inbox each week

Trend Reports

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (4th R) attends a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (3rd L) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on February 22, 2019. (Photo by HOW HWEE YOUNG / POOL / AFP) (Photo credit should read HOW HWEE YOUNG/AFP via Getty Images)
Premium

From roads to routers: The future of China-Middle East connectivity

A general view shows the solar plant in Uyayna, north of Riyadh, on March 29, 2018. - On March 27, Saudi announced a deal with Japan's SoftBank to build the world's biggest solar plant. (Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE / AFP) (Photo credit should read FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images)
Premium

Regulations on Middle East renewable energy industry starting to take shape

Start your PRO membership today.

Join the Middle East's top business and policy professionals to access exclusive PRO insights today.

Join Al-Monitor PRO Start with 1-week free trial