The Turkish parliament voted Thursday to extend the existing state of emergency in the country for another three months, CNN Turk broadcaster reports. The sixth extension will become effective from Friday, January 19.
The state of emergency has been introduced following the failed coup attempt in July 2016, which left over 240 people dead and some 2,000 injured. Ankara has accused Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, who has been living in the US state of Pennsylvania since 1999, of being the mastermind of the coup. While the preacher has denied the allegations, Turkey has been pushing for his extradition from the United States.
READ MORE: Top 5 Most Harsh Comments Made by the Turkish Gov't Towards the US
According to the P24 press freedom group, over 150 journalists have been imprisoned in Turkey since July 2016. Referring to the aforementioned issue, French President Emmanuel Macron stressed the need to "protect the rule of law" when standing up to terrorism, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan argued that terrorism did not create itself and called columnists and opinion leaders "gardeners" of terrorism.
Ankara's actions have repeatedly been criticized by the international community as violation of human rights under a pretext of a national state of emergency.
