Erdogan declares three-month state of emergency

Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has declared a three-month state of emergency following the coup attempt last Friday. The decision, announced in a televised press conference on Wednesday night, came after marathon meetings of the country’s national security council and the cabinet in Ankara.

Article 121 of the Turkish constitution, which regulates the state of emergency, requires parliament to give its consent to the decision and sets a maximum period of six months for it. It allows the cabinet under the chairmanship of the president to issue decrees that have the force of law on matters relating to the state of emergency.

The declaration could be used to extend the detention of nearly 10,000 people rounded up since the failed coup.

More than 600 schools have been closed and thousands of state workers sacked in a purge by the president.

“State of emergency is not against democracy, the rule of law and freedom,” Erdogan said, adding that the country would not compromise on democracy.

The announcement will raise further concerns about restrictions on freedoms and rights in Turkey, which was shaken by a coup attempt on Friday that saw tanks enter the streets of Ankara and Istanbul and very nearly ousted the Turkish government.

The president has blamed the coup attempt on US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, a former ally whose followers run a worldwide network of schools.

He has called for Gulen to be extradited to Turkey, but US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday that Turkey must provide hard evidence the cleric was behind the coup attempt for any extradition to take place.

Earlier, Erdogan warned of further arrests and suspensions to come as Turkish authorities continued to pursue those they believed responsible for the thwarted putsch.

More than 50,000 state employees have been rounded up, sacked or suspended in the days since the coup attempt. On Wednesday, 99 top military officers were charged in connection with the events of the weekend.

Officials continued to take action against university and school employees, shutting down educational establishments, banning foreign travel for academics and forcing university heads of faculty to resign.

The government has also revoked the press credentials of 34 journalists who it alleges are connected to Gulen, according to Turkish media.