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Proceedings that seek to lift the legislative immunity of 25 opposition deputies, including 21 from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), arrived in the Turkish Assembly on 12 December.
The files have been handed over to a Joint Committee formed by members of the Parliamentary Committee for Constitution and Justice.
HDP Co-Chair Pervin Buldan is among the pro-Kurdish HDP deputies who face losing legislative immunity.
The files include 21 HDP, one CHP, one Victory Party (Zafer Party), one Democratic Regions Party (DBP) and one Turkish Workers’ Party (TIP) deputy.
The parliamentary motions cite terrorist propaganda, resisting police, unlawful protest and other types of political activity as reasons for stripping the Kurdish politicians of legislative immunity.
With the constitutional amendment brought to the agenda by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and supported by the CHP in 2016, the immunity of the deputies who had a case law in the parliament was lifted which paved the way for their prosecution, reported BBC.
Former HDP co-chairs Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ were arrested on 4 November 2016 along with 10 Kurdish lawmakers over alleged terrorism charges.
HDP released a statement in November and said that by lifting immunities the government aimed to eliminate both the HDP and democracy in Turkey, and that the judiciary has been used as an apparatus for that coup.
The recent poll conducted by HDP shows that 82.7 per cent of Kurdish voters will vote for a HDP candidate during the presidential elections in 2023, reports Euronews Turkish.
