Turkish parliament passes inteligence bill amid fiery debates

Parliament passed a hastily-drafted bill February17 to save top intelligence officials from a judicial probe as the government defended talks with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) but denied any promises to the militants, Hurriyet Daily News reports.

As the bill was immediately sent to President Abdullah Gül for approval, National Intelligence Organization (MİT) chief Hakan Fidan notified the Ankara prosecutor tasked with questioning him that he had a busy schedule and would show up at “a convenient time,” media reports said. The prosecutor confirmed the notification but would not elaborate.

The Justice and Development Party (AKP) pushed the amendment through Parliament at the end of a stormy 12-hour debate that ended early in the morning. Stepping back in the face of fierce objections from all opposition parties, the AKP revised the wording to narrow the scope of protection. The bill was passed on a 266-63 vote, suggesting that some 60 AKP deputies were absent along with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who was away from the public eye since the crisis erupted due to a second intestinal surgery.