According to a new regulation to be run jointly between the Interior and Justice Ministries, police could detain anyone who they suspect "could hold or organize a protest" for up to 24 hours without any court decision.

A judge will also be able to extend the 24-hour detention period should he find it appropriate. At present a judge’s or prosecutor’s order is necessary to detain people in such cases. And organizations considered known or likely to "hold protests" will be monitored while their members could be detained by police if intelligence reports suggest they are planning to organize a demonstration or action.

At the same time, penalties for resistance to police and damaging public properties will also increase.

The new measures (prompted by last summer Gezi Park protest) resemble the regulations passed in the UK, first to deal with the North of Ireland occupation (the aim being suppressing and putting behind bars thousands of republicans protesting to end the British military occupation of the 6 Counties) and then as an answer to the September 11 attack. In the UK it was internment without trial and it begun precisely with the strengthening of police powers and extension of detention periods without the necessity of a court decision.

The new regulations being discussed in Turkey are clearly a blow at human rights and freedom of expression and demonstration. Indeed the Blair government back in the UK stated, after 9/11 that it was introducing internment without charge once again derogating from Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights which the new measures violated.
It is interesting to note that the draft for strengthening police forces in Turkey is being discussed a few days after the presentation Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan made of the so called "democratisation package".