Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared a three-month state of emergency after a failed military coup.
Speaking after a meeting with Cabinet ministers and top security advisers here yesterday, Erdogan said the measure was being taken to counter threats to Turkish democracy.
The declaration followed the firing and suspension of tens thousands of soldiers, educators and civil servants in recent days on suspicion of complicity in the failed coup last week.
The Turkish President has warned of further arrests and suspensions to come as the authorities continue to pursue those they believed responsible for the failed coup.
More than 50 thousand state employees have been rounded up, sacked or suspended in the days since the coup attempt.
Turkey had imposed martial law-like emergency rule in the southeast of the country in 1987. It allowed officials to set curfews, issue search and arrest warrants and restricts gatherings as the security forces fought Kurdish rebels in the region. The emergency rule was gradually lifted by 2002.
