US silent as Turkey lifts immunity from HDP MPs

[Anthea]

Bill to strip immunity from Turkey's Kurdish MPs passes first stage

A bill stripping parliamentary immunity from select lawmakers in Turkey’s parliament received preliminary approval from a parliamentary committee on Monday.

Pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) opposed the bill saying that it targets their MPs and suppresses dissent. The bill to temporarily amend the constitution, introduced by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), seeks to lift immunity from 129 members of the Turkish parliament.

Drafting of the bill came after some HDP MPs made statements supporting Kurdish autonomy, as advocated by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for HDP members to face prosecution, accusing the party of having connections with the PKK, a named terrorist organization, an accusation HDP denies.

“Turkey is conducting its largest and most comprehensive fight against terror to date, while some lawmakers made statements giving support to terrorism before or after being elected, some gave de facto support and help and some lawmakers called for violence, which created great public disgust,” the draft bill reads.

Discussions on the contentious bill were twice interrupted by physical altercations. On Monday, AKP and HDP representatives threw water, kicks and fists at each other, briefly postponing the vote. HDP representatives left the committee meeting and the remaining lawmakers approved the draft bill.

On Thursday, debate on the bill was postponed when tempers flared and a similar fight broke out.

The bill now goes to parliament where it will need the support of at least 367 members of the 550-seat legislature. HDP is the only party to have declared opposition to the bill, which is likely to pass with a sizeable vote.

Members of Turkey’s parliament are immune to prosecution while they are in office. They can, however, face criminal charges after they leave office.

http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/turkey/03052016

[Anthea]

US considers Turkey democratic, says it has no position on lifting of immunity of Kurdish MPs
By: Wladimir van Wilgenburg

The Turkish government is planning to lift the parliamentary immunity of members of the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP). The US says it has no position on this.

The Turkish parliamentary committee on Tuesday approved the lifting of the immunity which would most likely lead to the prosecution of HDP-members and them ending up in jail, ending the Kurdish presence in the parliament.

“Well, again, as a parliamentary democracy, Turkey has well-established democratic procedures in place that will determine who has immunity and what circumstances that it can be lifted and how it’s going to be – how it’s going to be lifted,” John Kirby, the US State Department spokesman said.

“And we would expect that Turkey will follow its own democratic procedures in that regard. As I understand it, the parliament has taken up this bill and it’s an ongoing process, and I don’t want to get out ahead of that process right now,” he added.

“And again, I’m not going to speak to the specifics of an internal process there inside Turkey,” he emphasized.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for members of the HDP to face prosecution, accusing them of being an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

In the meantime, Turkish columnist Mustafa Akyol in an article for Hurriyet Daily News wrote that the decision is most likely linked to the Justice and Development Party (AKP) wanting to get the HDP’s seats through a mini-election, after the HDP losing their dozens of seats.

“This is the way the AKP hopes to garner the 14 additional parliamentary seats it needs to make a constitution of its own – a constitution tailor-made for our glorious president,” Akyol wrote on Wednesday.

http://aranews.net/2016/05/us-considers ... rdish-mps/

[Benny]

Is this the same bill that caused the massive brawl in the Turkish parliament yesterday?:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi96f4v5iC0

/B

[Anthea]

Is this the same bill that caused the massive brawl in the Turkish parliament yesterday?:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi96f4v5iC0

/B

The bill has had more than one vote

It seems that the bill has actually been passed now