Ankara Prosecutor seeks to strip Armenian lawmaker Garo Paylan of immunity

April 12, 2018 By administrator

The Ankara Chief Prosecutor’s office has prepared a summary of proceedings against eight deputies of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), including Turkish-Armenian lawmaker Garo Paylan, on the grounds of “insulting the Turkish nation, the Turkish state, its army and police forces,” “acting against the law on political parties,” “making terror propaganda,” and “insulting the president,” Hurriyet Daily News reports.

The summary of proceedings said HDP deputies Osman Baydemir, Alican Önlü, Feleknas Uca, Sibel Yiğitalp, Nadir Yıldırım, Dilek Öcalan, Mizgin Irgat, and Paylan had “praised” the imprisoned leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Abdullah Öcalan, in their speeches and publicly expressed condolences to the killed PKK militants, state-run Anadolu Agency reported on April 10.

The summary of proceedings, asking for the removal of the parliamentary immunities of the eight deputies, has been sent to the Justice Ministry, the agency said.

According to the Prosecutor’s office, Paylan, a member of the parliament from Istanbul, should be sued by the Turkish courts for “humiliating” remarks he made in Canada in May 2017 “towards the Turkish nation, the Republic of Turkey and insulting the President,” Anadolu Agency says.

Paylan has been vocal about the plight of Armenians in Turkey and the overall human rights situation in the country.

When in Canada in May 2017, the lawmaker held a series of meetings in Ottawa and Montreal with Members of Parliament and various current and former Canadian officials

He provided an overview of the current political climate in Turkey, the aftermath of the constitutional referendum and the ongoing uncertainty and concern regarding the rights and freedoms of the minorities living in Turkey. He stressed the importance of acknowledging history, specifically in regards to the Armenian Genocide, stating, “unpunished crimes lead to new crimes.”

Anadolu Agency. HDP’li 8 milletvekilli hakkında fezleke

Iraqi parliament to strip Kurdish MPs of immunity, putting them on trial

October 3, 2017 By administrator

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The Iraqi parliament has asked the Federal Court in a letter to take legal measures against Kurdish MPs who voted for independence from Iraq in last week’s referendum. the Erbil-based Rudaw TV said on Tuesday,

The issue was raised by Salim al-Jabouri, speaker of the parliament, together with the Shiite National Alliance, the largest faction in the parliament.

The letter calls for stripping those Kurdish MPs involved in vote of immunity and going as far as putting them on trial.

According to the letter, their membership in the parliament will be suspended, too.

Jabouri said in a press conference that the parliament’s decisions against those involved in vote was not a ‘collective punishment.”

He said the parliament would commit to the Federal Court’s rulings against the Kurdish MPs.

Rudaw’s Akam Hashim, citing Shiite MPs, the Kurdish parliamentarian were denied entry into the parliament by them on Tuesday on the same ground.

Hashim added that barring the Kurdish MPs came when the State of Law faction collected and presented a number of signature to the speaker of parliament to prevent the Kurdish MPs from entering the parliament hall.

Rudaw’s reporter from the scene said that the Kurdish MPs were also told to return to Kurdistan.

A Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) MP said the parliamentarians had returned to Baghdad to advocate for the rights of the Kurdish people.

And Masoud Haideri, an MP from the Change Movement or Gorran denied they were barred from entering the parliament hall, saying “no one could stop us from entering the parliament as we constitute one of the main components in Iraq: the Kurdish nation.”

MPs from all Kurdish parties, excluding the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), returned to Baghdad to attend the new parliamentary sessions.

At least 175 MPs have attended today’s session.

The Iraqi parliament recently issued a set of punitive measures against the Kurdistan Region in response to the referendum, including a flight ban.

Selahattin Demirtaş HDP defies Erdoğan, commits to request their own immunity be removed

July 28, 2015 By administrator

HDP to submit request to have their immunity removed in defiant stance against the interim government and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who have accused party of maintaining ties with the armed and outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

In response to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan urging the parliament to strip politicians with links to “terrorist groups” of their immunity from prosecution, implying the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), HDP Co-Chair Demirtaş took to the cameras on Tuesday, vowing to take up Erdoğan on his word.

“If you are talking about immunity, we, together with our 80 parliamentarians, will submit a request to the parliament to have our immunity lifted. If you are not afraid let’s all together lift our immunities? Are you up for it?” stated the HDP co-chair directly addressing Erdoğan.

Erdoğan’s comments regarding the HDP had come days after the Turkish air force bombed camps in northern Iraq of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Turkey has so far detained over 1,000 suspects in counter-terror raids, the PKK, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), and the leftist the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party–Front (DHKP-C), but has received criticism from the Kurdish politicians for not being sincere in its efforts against ISIL.

Demirtaş accuses Erdoğan of trying to wreak havoc to stir the country into an early election to have the interim Justice and Development Party (AK Party) win majority once again by eliminating the HDP.

“No matter what happens we will not cease our language of peace. They will attack us but we shall not fall into the trap. The path to their single party rule passes through the elimination of the HDP.”

Report July 28, 2015 | BGNNews.com | Istanbul