European Parliament Calls on Turkey to Lift State of Emergency

European Parliament called on Turkey to lift the state of emergency and criticized the latest bout of the crackdown on critics questioning the military offensive against Kurdish enclave of Afrin in northern Syria.

A resolution adopted by European lawmakers on Thursday expressed deep concern at the ongoing deterioration in fundamental rights and freedoms and the rule of law in Turkey.

It condemned “the use of arbitrary detention and judicial and administrative harassment to persecute tens of thousands of people.”

In the resolution, the lawmakers have urged “the Turkish authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all those who have been detained only for carrying out their legitimate work, exercising freedom of expression and association and are being held without compelling evidence of criminal activity.”

The post-coup clampdown on domestic political opponents, the purge in civil service of more than 150,000 public workers without due process have created a lasting rift between EU and Turkey.

The statement came two days after the U.S. also urged Turkey to  end of “the protracted state of emergency in Turkey.”

The Parliament members also called for the repeal of the emergency decrees.

The path of legal remedy for the purged public servants in Turkey appears to be blocked. The resolution has called on the Turkish government “to offer all persons subjected to restrictive measures appropriate and effective remedies and judicial review in line with the rule of law.”

More than 50,000 people have been placed behind bars. The situation has also been mentioned in the text. It emphasized the presumption of innocence is a fundamental principle in any constitutional state.