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Constitutional Court rejects opposition deputies’ appeals against lift of immunities

The Constitutional Court has rejected appeals filed by opposition pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) and Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputies after lifting of parliamentary immunities.

The top court reportedly combined all the appeals on the immunity issue filed by CHP and HDP deputies and rejected them at once.

The court is expected to announce the justification for rejecting the appeals against lift of parliamentary immunities later in the day.

Article 85 of the Constitution mandates that “If the parliamentary immunity of a deputy has been lifted, … the deputy in question or another deputy may, within seven days from the date of the decision of the Plenary, appeal to the Constitutional Court, for the decision to be annulled on the grounds that it is contrary to the Constitution, law or the Rules of Procedure. The Constitutional Court shall make the final decision on the appeal within fifteen days.”

Turkish Parliament’s General Assembly approved a bill, which calls for a constitutional amendment to remove the lawmakers’ immunity from prosecution, with majority of the votes on May 20.

Proposed by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) on April 12, the bill is widely considered an attempt to prosecute lawmakers from the pro-Kurdish HDP, which is the third biggest party in the Turkish Parliament.

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