The Turkish Parliament has been inundated with requests for the lifting of MPs’ parliamentary immunity, 733 in total, 512 of which specifically target members of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (HEDEP).
At the top of the list of requests, officially published by the parliament’s presidency under the title ‘Presidential Resolutions on the Removal of Legislative Immunity’, is Saliha Aydeniz, a HEDEP MP representing the Kurdish-majority city of Mardin (Mêrdîn) in south-east Turkey. Aydeniz faces a staggering 97 motions calling for her parliamentary immunity to be lifted. The charges against her range from “membership of an organisation” to “propaganda for an organisation”, the implication being that the organisation in question is the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) because of its perceived links with HEDEP.
A significant proportion of the motions, 326 in fact, focus on charges related to ‘propaganda for the organisation’. Other charges include ‘praising crime and criminals’, ‘inciting hatred and enmity’, ‘violating the law on meetings and demonstrations’, ‘insulting the Republic of Turkey and its government’, ‘insulting a public official’ and ‘insulting the president’.
The multiplicity of charges against members of HEDEP, a party often associated with defending the rights of the Kurdish people and ethnic minorities, underlines Turkey’s historical background of political tensions and crackdowns on pro-Kurdish political entities.
The motions have been referred to the Constitutional and Judicial Review Commission for thorough examination. If the parliamentary commission decides to strip them of their parliamentary immunity, it could pave the way for legal action, including arrests and trials.
This latest development fits into a wider pattern, as members of pro-Kurdish parties, including elected officials and party leaders, have frequently faced arrest and detention in Turkey. The charges often revolve around supporting illegal organisations or engaging in activities deemed detrimental to the unity and integrity of the state.
In the meantime, 108 Kurdish politicians are being prosecuted for their involvement in protests in 2014 against the siege of Kobani (Kobanê) in Syria by ISIS.
