Turkey opposition head for state of emergency extension

By Muhammet Emin Avundukluoglu

ANKARA

Devlet Bahceli, the leader of the opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), on Tuesday called for the extension of a state of emergency in place in Turkey since July 2016.

"The extension of the state of emergency is of historic importance," Bahceli told his lawmakers in the capital Ankara, saying the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), which staged the defeated coup on July 15, 2016, still posed a threat through its "crypto members", or sleeper cells.

"FETO's crypto members are still active. The full disclosure and removal of the crypto members is an urgent need," said Bahceli.

Bahceli also rejected calls for the lifting of the state of emergency.

"We cannot lift the state of emergency as the conditions are not back to normal. The threat is not yet over," he said.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup on July 15, 2016, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.