In one major amendment, the draft was extended to cover crimes such as narcotics and people smuggling that are not outright "terrorist acts," but can serve to support outlawed terror organisations.

It provides prison terms of up to three years for "propaganda" by way of shouting slogans and carrying banners during demonstrations in favour of terror groups.

Under the new arrangement, wearing emblems or uniforms of outlawed groups or covering one's face during demonstrations are punishable under the propaganda charge.

People who provide funds to terror groups will risk five years in prison, the sentence extended to seven-and-a-half years if they are public servants.

Suspects detained on terrorism charges can be denied access to a lawyer for the first 24 hours in custody, but cannot be forced to testify during that time.

The bill gives security forces the right to use weapons against terrorist suspects who ignore orders to surrender during a security operation.

Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said the amendments did not mean that Turkey was backtracking from human rights reforms introduced to ease the country's entry into the European Union.

"Our aim is to absolutely eradicate terrorism," Gul said Tuesday. "But we will not go back on basic rights and liberties."

The move comes in the wake of bloody Kurdish riots that began late March during a funeral for rebels of the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) killed in clashes with the army in southeast Turkey.

During a week of violence that claimed 16 lives, masked protestors clashed with security forces and torched government buildings as riot police fired warning shots in the air.

Officials accused the PKK of orchestrating the riots.

Violence has been on the rise in southeast Turkey as the urban riots were followed by clashes in the countryside between the army and the PKK.

More than 37,000 people have been killed since 1984 when the outlawed Kurdish group, considered a terrorist organaisation by Ankara, the European Union and the United States, took up arms for self-rule in the southeast.