Human Rights Watch: the state of emergency decree can be used to target anyone
HRW released a statement noting that the decree that has been passed after the declaration of state of emergency is “arbitrary, discriminatory, and unjustified as a response to the violent coup attempt or other public order concerns.” HRW Turkey researcher Emma Sinclair-Webb stated that “The decree can be used to target any opponent – perceived or real – beyond those in the Gülen movement.”
Pointing out that extension of maximum detention period to 30 days increases the risk of torture and ill treatment, HRW stated: “The government should know that the introduction of 30-day police detention cannot be justified even under a state of emergency and that it increases the possibility of torture and ill-treatment of suspects. That risk is compounded by the removal of private communications between a prisoner and their lawyer, which is also incompatible with the right to an effective defense.”
Sinclair Webb also stated that “The first state of emergency decree goes well beyond the legitimate aim of promoting accountability for the bloody July 15 coup attempt. It is an unvarnished move for an arbitrary, mass, and permanent purge of the civil service, prosecutors, and judges, and to close down private institutions and associations without evidence, justification, or due process.”
