- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Erdogan: Adoption of Bill to Strip Lawmakers of Immunity 'Historic'

© Turkish Presidential Press OfficeTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech during a ceremony on the occasion of 171st anniversary of foundation of the Turkish National Police at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on April 7, 2016.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech during a ceremony on the occasion of 171st anniversary of foundation of the Turkish National Police at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on April 7, 2016. - Sputnik International
Subscribe
By allowing the removal of lawmakers' immunity, the Turkish parliament has made a decision that has "historic" significance for the country, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday.

Turkish parliament - Sputnik International
Turkish Parliament Passes 'Anti-Kurdish' Bill On Lifting Immunity From MPs
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, the parliament backed a bill that provides for 138 lawmakers to be stripped of immunity from prosecution.

"Today's vote is historic. My people do not want legislators who back a separatist terror organization [the Kurdistan Workers’ Party] to sit in Parliament. The ruling [Justice and Development] party, the Nationalist Movement Party say 'They should not be here'," Erdogan told supporters in the northeastern Turkish town of Rize.

The ruling Justice and Development Party-sponsored bill, was mainly opposed by lawmakers from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) who are afraid of being prosecuted because of the party's pro-Kurd positions.

Currently, 138 Turkish lawmakers in the 550-seat parliament are under investigation, including 41 HDP legislators.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала