Turkish PM calls for lifting all immunities
'By adding a temporary clause to the constitution, we can lift immunities right away,' says Davutoglu
ANKARA
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu Thursday called on other political parties in parliament besides his ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) to lift all parliamentary immunities, with an eye on several opposition lawmakers in possible legal trouble.
“Let’s lift all these immunities. There are 506 motions before parliament on lifting immunity. The AK Party has no files [against it] to avoid. We aren’t hesitating,” Davutoglu said following his visit to a business confederation in Ankara.
“By adding a temporary clause to the constitution, we can lift [all parliamentary] immunities right away,” he added.
On Wednesday, an official request to remove the parliamentary immunity of opposition lawmaker Tugba Hezer Ozturk was sent to parliament.
Last week, similar requests to lift the immunity of five other member of the opposition Peoples’ Democracy Party, or HDP, including the party’s two co-leaders, were filed with parliament.
The motions stemmed from speeches given in December in which the deputies allegedly supported autonomy for parts of southeastern Turkey.
Davutoglu said he expects a response to his call before leaving for a summit in Brussels.
"In line with that answer, we can take a stand,” he said.
Davutoglu is due to attend a European Union summit where leaders will discuss a Turkish proposal to solve the refugee crisis facing Europe.
