Turkish parliament approves bill lifting lawmakers' immunity

The Turkish parliament on Friday approved a controversial constitutional amendment which would lift immunity of dozens of lawmakers against being prosecuted.

In the second round of voting, the first clause of the bill was approved with 373 votes out of the 550-seat parliament. As many as 531 deputies attended at the session.

In the first round of voting on May 18, the first clause received 350 votes while the second received 357 votes.

For a constitutional change in parliament, 367 votes are required, although 330 are enough to take a constitutional change to a referendum.

As passed, this bill would suspend article No. 83 of the constitution, which guarantees parliamentary immunity.

As soon as the temporary constitutional amendment, proposed by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), goes into force, all 600 waiting files of summaries of proceedings will be returned to the Prime Minister's Office within 15 days in order to be sent to the judicial authorities.

The ruling party and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) aims to lift the immunities of Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) lawmakers.

"No legal commission of the AKP, no judge or prosecutor under the AKP's command can try us," HDP co-leader Selahattin Demirtas earlier said at a party convention in April.

The HDP, the third largest party in the national assembly, currently holds 59 seats and is accused by the government of being a political wing of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Since a two-year cease-fire between the government and the PKK disintegrated last July, Turkish security forces have launched a major campaign against the PKK in southeast Turkey, leaving over 260 members of Turkey's security forces and thousands of PKK members dead.

The PKK, waging its separatist war against Turkey since 1984, is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. Endit