Turkish MPs may be deprived of parliamentary immunity

The Turkish parliament will begin to debate the draft law on depriving MPs of the parliamentary immunity, The Guardian reports.

A push by the Turkish government to strip parliamentarians of their immunity is a clear attempt by the president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to target opposition MPs, the co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic party (HDP), Selahattin Demirtas, said.

“The bill will have a very negative impact on Turkey, and it is very clear that the attempt to strip MPs of immunity targets us,” he said, warning that there was “a serious risk” of violence increasing in the country, as the belief in democracy and politics of peace will drop to zero.

A final vote is expected on May 20.