Proposals to lift immunity of 11 HDP lawmakers submitted to Turkish parliament
Turkish parliament has received fresh summaries of proceedings seeking to have legislative immunity lifted for 11 HDP lawmakers. There are approximately 1,300 summaries of proceedings waiting to be finalized at parliament, 915 of which belong to HDP lawmakers.
Duvar English
Turkey’s Justice Ministry has submitted to parliament fresh summaries of proceedings seeking to have legislative immunity lifted for 11 lawmakers from the Peoples’ Democratic Party.
Parliament's Joint Constitution and Justice Committee will examine the summary of proceedings prepared by the prosecutors.
There are approximately 1,300 summaries of proceedings waiting to be finalized at parliament, 915 of which belong to HDP lawmakers, 248 of which belong to main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) lawmakers, 14 of which belong to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) lawmakers, 12 of which belong to İYİ (Good) Party lawmakers, and two of which belong to Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) lawmakers.
In order for a legal action to start against a deputy, prosecutors need to submit a summary of proceedings to parliament. If parliament then votes to strip the deputy of their immunity from prosecution, they are tried by courts.
A number of HDP deputies were stripped of their statuses in the past and scores of party members, including former lawmakers, are currently imprisoned.
On March 17, a new lawsuit to close the HDP was launched, on the same day that HDP MP Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu was stripped of his parliamentary status.
Experts believe that the ruling AKP will continue to criminalize and target opposition voices, while presenting fictitious “reform” and “rights-based proposals” to the West.