AK Party submits proposal to lift parliamentary immunity

The Justice and Development (AK) Party on Tuesday has submitted a draft proposal to the speaker's office to lift parliamentary immunity.

The proposal has been signed by 316 AK Party lawmakers before submission.

"Turkey is conducting its largest and most comprehensive fight against terror to date, while some lawmakers made statements giving support to terrorism before or after being elected, some gave de facto support and help and some lawmakers called for violence, which created great public disgust," the draft said.

The proposal would amend the constitution with a temporary clause to remove immunity from prosecution from 129 lawmakers in the parliament.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu had proposed in mid-March that Parliament should lift immunity from prosecution for all lawmakers and collectively review the 506 outstanding dossiers. With the dossiers waiting at the Justice Ministry and the prime ministry, the number of motions in Parliament is expected to reach 550.

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Group Deputy Chairman Oktay Vural had also said that his party is in favor of lifting the immunities of all deputies except for those at the podium. The MHP, however, voiced support for lifting the immunities of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) deputies who are accused of supporting terror.

As of late March, there were 43 CHP, 41 HDP, 22 AK Party and six MHP deputies facing the lifting of their parliamentary immunity. Many deputies had had multiple cases launched into them.

The request to lift parliamentary immunity was first made concerning statements by HDP members' supporting PKK assertions of self-autonomy, which were made in December 2015 at the Democratic Society Congress (DTK).