Turkish Parl't Passes Anti-Terror Bill After Lifting State of Emergency – Report

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Turkish unicameral parliament approved an anti-terror bill on Wednesday, extending the powers that the authorities had exercised under the recently ended state of emergency, the Anadolu news agency reported.

The bill will be sent to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for approval and will come into force after publication, the media reported.

The anti-terror act will grant the government with powers to dismiss employees of the Armed Forces, police and public servants over links to extremist groups such as the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is listed as a terrorist organization in Turkey, according to the news outlet.

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The bill faced criticism from several politicians and human rights groups as it "indefinitely" extended the state of emergency, lifted a week ago.

After the July 2016 failed coup attempt, Ankara introduced the state of emergency, which had been repeatedly renewed since then. The measure was widely criticized by the Turkish opposition and a number of Western leaders citing threats to the rights and freedoms in Turkey.

While the state of emergency was in effect, the Turkish authorities reportedly had arrested over 50,000 people and dismissed more than 100,000 government officials and military officers on terrorism charges in relation to Fethullah Gulen’s movement, which Ankara accused of organizing the coup attempt.