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Erdogan Suggests No End to Turkey’s Post-Coup State of Emergency

© AP Photo / Richard DrewTurkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly, at U.N. headquarters, Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly, at U.N. headquarters, Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016. - Sputnik International
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On Thursday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insinuated to a group of local administrators that the state of emergency announced in the wake of July’s failed military coup could be extended for over a year.

"It would be in Turkey’s benefit to extend the state of emergency for three months," Erdogan said at a meeting in Ankara, and brushed off criticism for prolonging the now three-month long regime, declaring that no one should try to dictate "a calendar or roadmap" for Turkey. 

A pro-government supporter waves a Turkish flag and one with the picture of Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, during a rally on the road leading to Istanbul's iconic Bosporus Bridge, Thursday, July 21, 2016 - Sputnik International
Erdogan is 'Implicitly Fueling' Anti-Americanism in Post-Coup Turkey

"They [critics] say one year isn’t right for Turkey. Let’s wait and see, maybe 12 months won’t be enough," he said. The state of emergency was first declared July 20, and Erdogan’s statements come just a day after Turkey’s National Security Council, made up of military and political leaders, recommended that it be extended another three months.

The council concluded that the extension was necessary "to take measures to protect the rights and freedoms of citizens."

Erdogan, in support of the recommendation, asserted that since terrorism will be addressed during the state of emergency, Turkish citizens will support it.

"This state needs time to be purged of these terrorist organizations’ extensions," he said. "Right now we’re racing against time." 

Handcuffs - Sputnik International
Turkey Arrests 32,000 People in Connection With July Coup Attempt

Nearly three hundred people died in the coup attempt, which began when elements of the military attempted to take control of the government. The violence ended with police clashing with helicopters, tanks and troops in Istanbul and Ankara.

Some 32,000 people have been arrested in connection with the event, causing the Turkish Justice Ministry to call for the building of more courtrooms to process them. So far an estimated 7,000 people have been processed.

Turkey has continued its call to the US to extradite a former Erdogan ally, Turkish business leader and cleric Fethullah Gulen, who the Turkish president’s administration claims is the organizer of the coup. Washington has stated its willingness to cooperate, but has asked for clear proof of Gulen’s complicity in the violence.

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