The Turkish government on Monday voted to extend for another three months a state of emergency imposed after last July's failed coup attempt.

The state of emergency has been used to stifle dissent and enable President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the government to rule by decree.

Read: Questions abound, one year after Turkey coup that wasn't

More than 50,000 people have been arrested and 150,000 people suspended from employment under the emergency orders, prompting concern over the rule of law and democracy in the strategic NATO member.

The purges also raise concerns that the bureaucracy and military will be further stacked with Erdogan loyalists, sending the country down the path of one party and one man rule with few checks and balances.

Highlighting those worries, ten human rights activists, including Amnesty International Turkey director Idil Eser, were in court on Monday to face terrorism related charges.

Read: Turkish opposition gains new momentum

The targeting of human rights defenders and similar earlier crackdowns on lawyers and associations raises the question of who will be left to defend the tens of thousands of people caught up in the post-coup purge.

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Read: Turkey purges continue a year after failed coup

Marking the one year anniversary of the coup over the weekend, Erdogan suggested coup plotters should be brought before courts wearing Guantanamo style prison outfits after one defendant showed up to court wearing a "hero" t-shirt.

"We will rip the heads off of these traitors," Erdogan said, referring to the Gulen movement the government blames for the coup attempt and Kurdish militants. He has said he would approve any parliamentary measure to bring back the death penalty.

Anniversary celebrations came a week after the leader of the main opposition, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, ended a nearly 450-kilometer (280-mile) "March for Justice" from Ankara to Istanbul by holding a rally attended by more than a million people calling for an end to emergency rule and injustice.

Turks mark coup anniversary with disparate view of justice, sacrifice One year after the coup attempt On Saturday, Turks observed the anniversary of last year’s failed coup, commemorating the nearly 250 people who lost their lives during the event and celebrating the perseverance of the nation. The largest crowds gathered at Istanbul’s Bosphorus Bridge and in central Ankara, pictured above, where demonstrators marched to Turkey’s parliament to attend a speech by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Turks mark coup anniversary with disparate view of justice, sacrifice Disparate views in post-coup Turkey Among the crowds, were many who personally confronted the military on the night of the coup and had made personal sacrifices to defend the democratically elected government. In contrast, opponents of President Erdogan mostly stayed home, viewing the ongoing purges and Turkey’s extended state of emergency as affronts to the nation’s democratic principles that have undermined the rule of law.

Turks mark coup anniversary with disparate view of justice, sacrifice “Our Democracy Watch Continues” A banner in Ankara reads “Our Democracy Watch Continues,” in reference to democracy watch rallies that took place nightly during the month following the coup attempt. One year on, some Erdogan supporters believe followers of Fethullah Gulen, who the government blames for organizing the putsch, are still working in state offices and may be plotting a second coup attempt.

Turks mark coup anniversary with disparate view of justice, sacrifice Support for ongoing purges Sahibe, 45, a store clerk not pictured above, spoke in favor of the ongoing purges, which have laid off more than 150,000 people over the last year and jailed about 50,000. She said innocent citizens had nothing to worry about and that she hopes “the state of emergency continues until we cleanse the roots Gulenists have made in our country.”

Turks mark coup anniversary with disparate view of justice, sacrifice Extended state of emergency Yet not all attendees at Saturday’s rallies supported the year-old state of emergency. “I am anxious about the current situation because it gives soldiers the authority to do anything they want,” said Ahmed, who did not give a surname. “If there was a referendum on extending the state of emergency, I think the majority of people would vote against it.”

Turks mark coup anniversary with disparate view of justice, sacrifice “Stay strong, the people are with you” A pro-government demonstrator holds a flag featuring Erdogan with the words: “Stay strong, the people are with you.” Reflecting on Erdogan’s leadership, a taxi driver near the rally said, “May god protect us if this man is re-elected in 2019. He’ll bring sharia law to Turkey, which is no problem for men, but it will make life miserable for women.”

Turks mark coup anniversary with disparate view of justice, sacrifice “We have lost many rights “ Those who didn’t support the rallies kept their distance, such as Seyma Urper, a human rights lawyer working in the southeastern city of Sirnak. "Since the coup attempt, most employees in my municipality were dismissed and the mayor was replaced with a state-appointed trustee," Urper said. "We have lost many rights and it’s getting harder to do my job."

Turks mark coup anniversary with disparate view of justice, sacrifice “Our country is stronger than ever” Erol Kanmaz, not pictured above, said his son was shot in the leg on the night of the coup attempt and spent the subsequent six months in the hospital to undergo four surgeries. “I came out tonight to protect my homeland,” Kanmaz said. “Those Gulenist traitors tried to infiltrate our military, but now our country is stronger than ever.”

Turks mark coup anniversary with disparate view of justice, sacrifice “Tell us to die, we will die” Sureyya Kalayci (left) displays a homemade t-shirt stating: “A call is enough. Call us and we’ll come. Tell us to die, we will die.” On 15 July 2016, Kalayci and his son Ahmet (right), blocked military vehicles in Ankara’s streets, helping to foil the attempted coup. “If it wasn’t for the people, the military would’ve taken over our country,” Kalayci said.

Turks mark coup anniversary with disparate view of justice, sacrifice “We are the grandchildren of the Ottomans” A demonstrator holds up a scarf reading: “We are the grandchildren of the Ottomans.” Many people in the crowds on Saturday night expressed support for President Erdogan’s policies and believed he was the only leader that could restore Turkey’s stance as an international power, which was tarnished with the fall of the Ottoman Empire 100 years ago. Author: Diego Cupolo



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