Turkey Put on Europe Rights Watch List over Post-Coup Crackdown

A leading European human rights body has put Turkey on a watch list over the Ankara government’s heavy-handed crackdown on opposition figures and political dissidents following the abortive July 15 military coup last year, rights violations and concerns about President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s increased executive powers, press TV reported.

On Tuesday, the 47-member Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) voted 113 in favor of the procedure against Turkey versus 45 against. The assembly called on Turkey to promptly lift the state of emergency, and free jailed lawmakers and journalists.

 The vote at the Strasbourg-based assembly is set to further sour relations between Turkey and the European Union. 

EU lawmakers are scheduled to debate relations with Ankara on Wednesday, and the bloc’s foreign ministers will discuss the situation on Friday. EU leaders are expected to exchange viewpoints on the issue when they meet over United Kingdom’s planned withdrawal from the union, commonly known as Brexit, on Saturday.

Erdogan’s authorities arrested 47 thousand people in crackdown after the failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016.  

H.M