The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights has voiced concern at mass arrests and renewal of the state of emergency in Turkey.

Speaking to reporters in Geneva, Switzerland Monday, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein said terror should not be tackled at the expense of human rights.

“It is highly unlikely that the suspensions and detentions will have met due process standards,” he said after the latest round of suspensions of civil servants and arrests of police in Turkey.

Addressing the detention of Turkish members of the media, Zeid said that “journalism is not a crime in Turkey, it is an issue the government must pay deep attention to.”

Meanwhile, Turkish police used tear gas Monday to disperse a group of protesters and arrested dozens of them as they sought to defy a ban and march to Istanbul’s Taksim Square to celebrate May Day.

 
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