EU lawmakers are expected to vote in favour of suspending EU membership talks with Turkey on Thursday, sending a signal against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's post-coup crackdown.
The European Parliament's largest political factions have united behind a proposal that would temporarily freeze membership negotiations and automatically cut off the talks if Turkey reintroduced the death penalty - something Erdogan threatened to do less than a month ago.
The European Parliament's non-binding vote is scheduled for 12 pm (1100 GMT).
If the measure passes, it would increase political pressure on the European Commission, which is overseeing the accession talks, to act accordingly.
Some four months after crushing an attempted coup on July 15 and declared a state of emergency, Erdogan has shown few signs of ending a purge of Turkey's military and civil service that has led to thousands of suspensions and arrests.
The government has also closed more than 170 media outlets and jailed some 120 journalists and 10 members of the political opposition.
The Turkish government's bid to join the 28-member bloc officially began in 2005.
