State of emergency shuts down Turkey's NGOs
Since the failed July 15 coup attempt, some 1,500 nongovernmental organizations have been banned.
The number of nongovernmental organizations whose activities have been banned by the state of emergency rule is steadily increasing. The latest was the announcement that 370 more NGOs have been shut down, bringing the total number of NGOs banned since July 15 to 1,495. Of that number, 1,125 were banned with a decree issued July 23.
According to the latest data from the Department of NGOs in the Ministry of Interior, there are 109,898 registered NGOs in the country. Of that number, 33,666 professional and solidarity associations lead the way. Next in line are 21,039 NGOs involved with sports. Also, 18,063 associations are active in religious affairs, and about 18,000 in total deal with humanitarian assistance, education, culture and arts. Only 327 are concerned with the elderly and children.
