Turkey approves tough anti-protest law

ANKARA: The Turkish parliament on Friday passed a stripped down version of its controversial homeland security bill that has enraged the opposition, after a 16-hour debate that lasted all night.
Critics fear the draconian legislation, which in the last weeks caused several fist-fights in parliament, will encourage the arbitrary arrest of protesters and turn the country into a police state under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Out of 231 deputies present in parliament where the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) holds the majority, 199 voted for and 32 against.
The government had, in an attempt to compromise, put only a limited version of the bill up for vote.
Sixty-nine articles have been approved but the remaining 63 have been sent back to a parliamentary committee for further discussion.
However the articles voted on Friday include some of most contentious measures, including jail terms for protesters who carry Molotov cocktails and other such weapons.
It also permits police to use firearms to prevent an attack in a public place or against people using Molotov cocktails and similar weapons.