ANKARA: Turkey’s parliament on Thursday stripped three opposition party deputies of their legislative seats, setting off a raucous protest inside the assembly hall by colleagues who accused the ruling party of an assault on democracy.

Deputy speaker Sureyya Sadi Bilgic read out appeals court decisions confirming the legislators’ convictions, a process that automatically leads to the deputies losing their legal immunity and parliamentary seats.

Opposition legislators banged on their desks and chanted slogans denouncing President Recep Tayyip Erdogans ruling Justice and Development Party, or AK Party, as the enemy of democracy.

The move came as tensions in parliament were already running high over a contentious bill that would grant neighborhood watchmen similar powers as the country’s regular police force.

The legislators are Enis Berberoglu of the main opposition Republican Peoples Party, or CHP, who went on trial on espionage charges for allegedly leaking to an opposition newspaper images that allegedly showed Turkey’s intelligence agency smuggling weapons into Syria, and Leyla Guven and Musa Farisoglullari of the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party, or HDP, who were convicted of links to Kurdish rebels. The parties deny the accusations and maintain that the cases against the legislators are politically-motivated.

The CHP maintains Berberoglu was stripped of his status and legal immunity prematurely, arguing that his case is still being reviewed by Turkey’s highest court. The party also says the AK Party broke away with the tradition of delaying the reading of the court decisions until the end of the legislative term.

Emin Akbasoglu, a senior AK Party legislator, said the move was in line with the Turkish Constitution.

Published in Dawn, June 5th, 2020

Opinion

Editorial

Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...
New terror wave
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

New terror wave

The time has come for decisive government action against militancy.
Development costs
27 Mar, 2024

Development costs

A HEFTY escalation of 30pc in the cost of ongoing federal development schemes is one of the many decisions where the...
Aitchison controversy
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

Aitchison controversy

It is hoped that higher authorities realise that politics and nepotism have no place in schools.