Motion to lift immunity of another HDP deputy submitted to parliament

ANKARA – Anadolu Agency

DHA photo

The Turkish Prime Ministry has submitted a motion to parliament seeking the removal of the parliamentary immunity of Tuğba Hezer Öztürk, a Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) deputy from the eastern province of Van, adding to the list of similar motions against other MP’s from the Kurdish-problem focused party. 

The motion against Öztürk was initiated by a prosecutor after she paid a visit to the home of Salih Necar, the terrorist who carried out the Feb. 17 suicide car bomb attack on military shuttle buses in Ankara which killed 29 people.

In accordance with the code, the motion was first submitted to the Justice Ministry, which then sent it to the Prime Ministry.

Another investigation was launched into Hezer’s Feb. 15 speech following a march on the 17th anniversary of the capture of Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). 

Separate motions asking for the removal of the immunities of five HDP deputies, including co-chairs Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ, were submitted to the parliament speaker on March 9, accusing the deputies of “provoking the people” and “being a member of an armed organization,” referring to the PKK.

The move against a number of deputies, mostly from the HDP, comes at a time when the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has largely accused the deputies of supporting the PKK and their support for an autonomy call.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan repeated his call to parliament on March 16 to act for the removal of deputies’ immunities.