Criticism Mounts Over Release of Parliamentarian Immunities

"Even the possibility of releasing the parliamentarian immunity for 10 Peace and Democracy Party deputies must be protested. Because it will block the way of a possible resolution through dialogue and negotiation," Peace Assembly of Turkey, an organization seeking a resolution for Turkey's Kurdish question, declared in a press conference on Thursday.

The press conference was held in Istanbul with several speakers from organization members including Hakan Tahmaz, Prof. Meryem Koray,  Prof. Gençay Gürsoy, artists Sevinç Altan, Deniz Türkali, author Yavuz Delal, as well as Sedat Doğan from Anti-Capitalist Muslim Youth.

The organization also called for action with a protest which will take place in Istanbul on December 1.

In August, 10 deputies representing mainly the southeastern provinces arranged a meeting with PKK members in Şemdinli district, which created an outrage from Turkish nationalist factions of the society and led to a bill on the release of parliamentarian immunities for the aforementioned deputies.

The bill allowed the prosecution of 10 deputies--Gültan Kışanak, Adil Kurt, Sebahat Tuncel, Nazmi Gür, Hüsamettin Zenderlioğlu, Halil Aksoy, Ertuğrul Kürkçü, Esat Canan, İdris Baluken and Aysel Tuğluk--for "aiding the terrorist organizations PKK and KCK".

Tahmaz: Negotiations should start again

"Following the end of hunger strikes on its 68th day without any casualties, the hopes for a peace agreement was very probable. But now, the government suppressed all the peace efforts again with this digest issue," Hakan Tahmaz said on behalf of the organization.

Tahmaz protested the government's efforts to block the peace agreement process with the parliamentarian immunity issue, and the remaining opposition parties to support AKP's policies.

"No deputies should be prosecuted on this issue. The negotiations should start instead," Tahmaz said.

Koray: "PM is contradicting himself"

Reminding the arrest of Kurdish deputies in 1994, Meryem Koray emphasized that such attempts on suppressing the Kurdish movement only worsened the problem.

"One day, the prime minister declares that 'they could meet with PKK's leader' and another day, he wants to release the parliamentarian immunities for the deputies. This is a contradiction. What kind of a future aspiration is this?" Koray said. (NV)