Turkey extends post-coup state of emergency by 3 months

ANKARA, Turkey – Turkey’s parliament has voted to extend by a further three months a state of emergency that was declared in the aftermath of the failed July 15 coup.

Parliament late Tuesday approved extending the government’s emergency powers until April 20 with the votes of ruling party legislators and the country’s nationalist party. Turkey imposed the state of emergency to crack down on a network linked to U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, accused of orchestrating the coup. Gulen denies any involvement.

Critics say the government is using the emergency rule to clampdown on other opponents, including pro-Kurdish politicians.

Some 41,000 people have been arrested, more than 100,000 people dismissed or suspended from government jobs while hundreds of media outlets, associations, businesses have been shut down over alleged ties to terror organizations.