Turkish President Erdogan ‘to lift’ state of emergency if re-elected

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the state of emergency in place since July 2016 will be lifted if he is re-elected on June 24. However, he suggested that it would be reinstated if the country faces further threats. “Lifting the state of emergency does not mean abolishing it completely not to come back. We’ll take whatever the toughest precaution is again when we see terror,” he told 24 TV on Wednesday night. More than 160,000 people have been detained under the emergency rule, and a similar number of civil servants have been sacked from their jobs, Reuters said, citing the United Nations. Scores of media outlets have been shut and journalists and activists have been detained.