UN insists on the end of a state of emergency in Turkey

The UN Human Rights Chief urged Turkey on Wednesday to immediately lift the state of emergency to pave the way for credible elections.

'It is hard to imagine how credible elections can be held in an environment where dissenting opinions and challenges for the ruling party are severely punished,' said Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights., in a statement.

The Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan, who issued early presidential and parliamentary elections before June 24, extended the state of emergency seven times since attempting a coup in July 2016.

In a UN report published in March, the Turkish government was accused of mass arrests, arbitrary looting and other abuses which in some cases amounted to 'a collective punishment.' Turkey denies that numerous human rights violations take place in the country under the state of emergency.

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