Turkey's parliament voted on Tuesday in favour of extending emergency rule by a further three months. The state of emergency has been extended for the third time, effective from January 19.
Emergency rule, first imposed in Turkey after the failed military coup on July 15 and then extended in October, enables the government to bypass parliament in enacting new laws and to limit or suspend rights and freedoms when deemed necessary.
However, the state of emergency has been used for a broad crackdown against AKP government and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan critics and not just suspected coup plotters.
AKP government has formally arrested more than 41,000 people during the investigation of the coup, which it has blamed on U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen and his followers. Over 103,000 people have been investigated as part of the probe.
