ANKARA: Turkey’s parliament on Friday adopted a highly controversial bill that would lift immunity for dozens of pro-Kurdish and other MPs and could see them evicted from parliament, sparking fresh domestic and international concern.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will raise concerns over the legislation during a meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan next week, his spokesman said.
The EU is pressuring Ankara to narrow its definition of terror to stop prosecuting academics and journalists for publishing “terror propaganda.” The bill was backed by 376 MPs in the 550-seat legislature, parliament speaker Ismail Kahraman said, meaning it will become law directly without being put to a referendum. Only 140 voted against the measure.
Under current law, Turkish lawmakers have the right to full immunity from prosecution.
The bill — which still needs Erdogan’s approval before becoming law — would lift the immunity of 138 deputies from all parties who face potential prosecution.
The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) says the measure is aimed at expelling its members from parliament.The move could see dozens of HDP deputies facing criminal prosecution and losing parliamentary seats on accusations of supporting the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade insurgency in the southeast.
Erdogan has repeatedly made clear that Turkish authorities see “no difference” between individuals carrying weapons or indulging in “terrorist” propaganda.
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