On July 15, 2016, a faction of the Turkish military tried, and failed, to overthrow the
country’s government.
Turkey erupted in chaos, and thousands of citizens spilled into the streets.
During the attempted coup, the military took over the state-run TV channel, announcing
that they would impose a curfew and place the nation under martial law.
Had the coup been successful, it would have been the fourth time Turkey had been placed
under such conditions.
So what exactly is martial law?
Well, in the simplest terms, marital law means that the military has replaced the standing
government.
As such, the highest ranking military official becomes the head of state, and the country’s
constitution, along with individual rights and freedoms, are suspended.
Martial law is usually a response to a malicious, corrupt or inefficient government, and is
imposed after a coup d’etat or political uprising.
But in rarer instances, it can occur during a conflict or after a natural disaster, when
the state is particularly vulnerable.
In the United States, martial law is directly linked to the writ of habeas corpus, which,
broadly speaking, gives the judiciary the power to oversee law enforcement.
When habeas corpus is suspended, the country is arguably in a state of martial law.
This has only happened on a federal level once: when President Lincoln suspended habeas
corpus during the Civil War.
However it has happened on a state or local level a number of times.
For example, what is now the state of Hawaii was placed under martial law following the
Pearl Harbor Attack in World War Two.
The city of San Francisco has dealt with martial law twice - once after the 1906 earthquake,
and again in 1934, when the California governor responded to the dock workers’ strike by
placing just the docks under martial law.
But in certain countries, particularly in Southeast Asia, martial law is not nearly
as rare.
The Philippines, for instance, has instituted martial law five times, one of which lasted
nearly a decade.
In Thailand, the military has seized power a whopping 12 times in the last century.
The most recent instance was in 2014, when the military junta ousted the democratically
elected government amid months of violent protests.
Martial law was lifted the following year, only to be replaced with a law that grants
the military junta sweeping powers in the name of maintaining “peace and stability”.
Military officials can seize assets, censor the media and detain or arrest anyone suspected
of crimes against Thailand’s royal family.
In most countries, martial law is a last resort, and, as a result, is extremely rare.
The military tends to seize power during a time of political or social unrest, however
they often have the opposite effect - that is, creating a violent police-state.
So, it’s understandable that citizens of countries that have been placed under martial
law several times would be weary of such conditions.
For instance during the attempted coup in Turkey, many citizens came out in support
of their controversial president and ruling party.
For those familiar with martial law, a corrupt or otherwise unjust government is oftentimes
better than the alternative…..
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This is far from the first coup d’etat Turkey.
So what exactly is a coup d’etat?
Check out this video to learn more.
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