The Turkish Parliament on Wednesday received summaries of proceedings to remove the parliamentary immunity of 10 opposition lawmakers including the leader of Turkey’s main opposition party, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, Turkish media outlets reported.
In addition to Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairman Kılıçdaroğlu, CHP lawmakers Oğuz Kaan Salıcı, Muharrem Erkek, Yunus Emre, Veli Ağbaba, Fethi Açıkel and Faik Öztrak as well as pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) lawmakers Ayşe Acar Başaran and Kemal Bülbül face removal of their immunity from prosecution.
The proceedings against the CHP lawmakers are reportedly related to a CHP report about the relationship between Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Gülen movement, accused by the Turkish government of masterminding a failed coup in Turkey in 2016. The movement strongly denies any involvement in the abortive putsch.
The HDP politicians face the proceedings on terror charges as the party is accused by the Turkish government of being the political wing of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the EU and the US.
If parliament votes to strip the deputies of their immunity from prosecution, they will be tried by Turkish courts.
The prosecution of members of parliament has been possible since the CHP and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) lent support to a 2016 proposal submitted by the ruling AKP on removing deputies’ immunity from prosecution.