Parliament speaker rejects CHP’s proposal to form commission for Rohingya Muslims

Rifat Başaran – ANKARA

Turkish Parliament Speaker İsmail Kahraman has rejected a proposal submitted by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) on the formation of a special commission to investigate human rights violations against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, days after rejecting another commission proposal for the Gaza Strip.

In the proposal submitted to the parliament speaker’s office, CHP Istanbul lawmaker Sezgin Tanrıkulu said a commission must be formed to investigate human rights abuses and massacres committed against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.

Tanrıkulu also suggested a visit to the Rakhine State by representatives of all four parties in parliament, non-governmental organizations and human rights activists in order to document the problems on the ground and take the necessary steps to stop the violence immediately.

But Kahraman rejected the establishment of the commission, citing similar reasons he gave when he rejected the Gaza commission.

In his rejection, Kahraman said the proposed commission did not fit the general structure of the Parliament Investigative Commissions.

“It’s not possible for your demand to be met with regards to the regulations. Our office has no procedures that it can carry out [regarding this issue],” Kahraman said.

Tanrıkulu and CHP group deputy chairman Özgür Özel previously made another proposal and referred to a commission formed to investigate deadly clashes that erupted on March 12, 1995 in Istanbul’s Gazi neighborhood.

“In order for the current situation in Gaza Strip to be understood in an objective manner in Turkey and the world, it would be very significant for a parliamentary delegation to carry out investigations in the area and talk to the locals there, before sharing their findings and suggestions with the parliament and the public,” the proposal read, which had also been rejected by Kahraman over similar reasons.

In his rejection regarding the Gaza commission, Kahraman also noted that the parliament speaker’s office did not have any role in the formation of the commission regarding the 1995 clashes in the Gazi neighborhood.