Turkey eases detention rules thanks to European anchor

The Turkish government has eased certain stringent state of emergency (SoE) rules ahead of a crucial vote in the Council of Europe demanding an urgent debate on the "functioning of democratic institutions" in Turkey.

The government issued four new decrees with force of law late on Jan. 22 regarding the "better functioning of the SoE," in the words of spokesman Numan Kurtulmuş in his Jan. 23 press conference. The state of emergency was declared by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Parti) shortly after the foiled military coup attempt on July 15, 2016.

Hours after the decrees went into effect, published in the Official Gazette early on Jan. 23, a proposal in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) calling for an "urgent" debate to discuss the functioning of democratic institutions in Turkey was turned down after failing to get the necessary two-thirds majority. If voted for, the proposal could have further affected Turkey's reputation negatively in the Council - of which Turkey is a founding member - and further weaken Ankara's links with European institutions.

With the decrees, the government decreased the legal detention-without-charge period to seven days, from 30 days (it was four days before the SoE). It also guaranteed immediate access to lawyers (which could be denied for up to five days previously under the SoE). These are two of the major complaints from critics of the SoE, as tens and thousands of people have been detained on claims of being involved in the coup attempt and having links with the secret network of Fethullah Gülen, the Islamist preacher living in the U.S. and accused of masterminding the plot.

In addition, a commission will be established to investigate complaints regarding...