2LT International News

ANKARA, Turkey – Six days after ending the two-year long state of emergency in the country, Turkey’s parliament has now ratified a tough new anti-terrorism bill.

The bill, which was drafted by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP), was passed on Wednesday.

According to experts, the measures proposed by the ruling party retains aspects of emergency rule and will be valid for three years.

The new legislation provides authorities in the country with more power to detain suspects and impose public order. 

It allows authorities to control who can enter and exit an area for 15 days for reasons of security and law enforcement bodies will be allowed to hold suspects without charge for 48 hours or up to four days if there are multiple offences.

Further, the new law authorizes the government to dismiss personnel of Turkish Armed Forces, police and gendarmerie departments, public servants and workers if they are found with links to a terror organization.

Amongst the measures retained from the long state of emergency period was the powers given to Governors of the country’s 81 provinces.

All Governors will retain some emergency powers including restricting freedom of assembly.

However, the draft legislation was criticized by the country’s opposition, which called it a ploy to make “emergency rule permanent.”

On July 20, 2016, following a failed coup by a section of the military to topple the government and unseat Erdogan, the government declared a state of emergency for the first time.

Reports then stated that the coup attempt left 251 people dead and nearly 2,200 injured and the government allowed the state of emergency to end only recently.