Turkish Interior Ministry reinstates 155,350 passports

ANKARA

Turkey’s interior ministry revoked the cancellation of 155,350 passports following the end of the two-year state of emergency, the ministry said on July 25.

The passports were reinstated to the spouses of people who had been deemed to be legally suspicious in the aftermath of the failed coup on July 15, 2016.

The ministry also said on July 25 state of emergency bureaus have been abolished.

Turkey’s state of emergency was declared on July 20, 2016, five days after the deadly coup attempt. It has come to an end now, but the opposition fears it will be replaced by repressive legislative measures.

The parliament is expected to hold a final vote on July 25 for a security law giving authorities broad counter-terrorism powers.

Parliamentarians completed approval of the individual articles of the law late on July 24.

The regulations grant broader authority to local governors, extend detention periods and allow public servant dismissals if there are links to or contact with terrorist organizations or other perceived threats to national security.