Turkish opposition: Erdogan is working to create armed militias under the name of Neighborhood Guards

On June 11, the Turkish opposition confirmed that Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s regime is working on establishing armed militias loyal to him under the name of “the Guards of Neighborhood ”.

According to the Agence-France Presse (AFP), the Turkish Parliament approved a controversial bill that greatly enhances the powers of “the Guards of Neighborhood ”.

The gunmen of these militias will be able to possess and use firearms and intercept individuals to verify their identities or search them, while Erdogan’s regime claims that their mission is to conduct night patrols to report thefts and breaches of public order.

“They are using the Guard of Neighborhood to create a militia,” said Maher Polat, a Member of Parliament of the opposition Republican People’s Party, the largest opposition party.

“ There is a problem related to security in this country, so the police and gendarmerie must be strengthened.”

In turn, Member of Parliament  Hakki Sarhan Olush of the People’s Democratic Party (HDP)  said : “ By strengthening the guards, the ruling party is trying to find additional conditions and means to increase pressure on society, maintain power and weaken the rule of law further.”

O. al-Mohammad