Turkey's top judicial body hit back Friday at government's plans to curb its powers, adding fuel to a bitter row over a vast corruption probe engulfing Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The parliament began on Friday to debate the proposed reforms, which would give the justice ministry more powers to decide who makes up the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) and strip the legal body of its powers to pass decrees.

Voter support for Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has slipped amid a corruption scandal engulfing close allies to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a poll published Thursday showed.

The survey by the Sonar Institute indicated a two percentage point dip in voting intentions for the AKP if legislative elections were to be held right now, compared to polling a month ago.

The Turkish government has moved to impose strict controls on the Internet by monitoring the activities of online users and blocking certain keywords, a parliamentary source said on Thursday.

The proposals are contained in a bill submitted to parliament by Turkey's family and social policy ministry and are the latest in a string of government moves testing freedom of expression in the aspiring EU member state.

Turkey has moved to curb the powers of the country's top independent judicial body, triggering concern Wednesday from Europe's top human rights watchdog.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) submitted a bill Tuesday seeking constitutional amendments to restructure the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK), the latest twist in the political crisis rocking Turkey.

The European Union voiced its concern Wednesday over the political turmoil convulsing Turkey as the government conducted a new mass purge of senior police officers.

In its strongest comments yet on the widening corruption scandal engulfing Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the EU called for Turkish authorities to ensure they acted impartially.

The Turkish government has fired 350 police officers in Ankara, local media reported Tuesday, the latest twist in a vast corruption scandal that has ensnared key allies of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The officers were sacked by a government decree published at midnight and included chiefs of the financial crimes, anti-smuggling, cyber crime and organized crime units, the private Dogan News Agency reported.

Turkey's embattled Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday he would favor retrials for hundreds of military officers jailed for coup-plotting.

In the latest sign of the turmoil that has gripped Turkish politics since the government was hit a huge corruption scandal last month, Erdogan appeared ready to reach out to the generals he once hounded.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose Islamist-leaning government is engulfed in a corruption scandal, on Saturday called the political crisis a "plot" against Turkey's "future and stability" by rival forces.

At a luncheon in Istanbul with generally pro-government intellectuals, writers and journalists, Erdogan reiterated his view that forces in Turkey and abroad are conspiring to oust him from power.

Turkish prosecutors said Friday they have charged 36 protesters with terrorism over mass anti-government demonstrations that swept the country last year.

They face a range of charges including being a member of a terrorist organization, illegal possession of hazardous material and terrorist propaganda, Hurriyet newspaper reported, quoting the indictment.

Around 1,000 protesters flooded an Istanbul metro station on Tuesday after a young homeless man was reportedly beaten by a security guard when he tried to board without paying.

The demonstration flared into a broader protest against the government, which has been battling a damaging political crisis sparked by a corruption probe.