Parliamentary Commission gives time to HDP’s Semra Güzel to make defense

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The Joint Parliamentary Commission has decided to form a Drafting Commission to discuss the two summaries of proceedings seeking to lift the legislative immunity of Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Diyarbakır MP Semra Güzel for "membership of a terrorist organization".

The Drafting Commission has convened and decided to give Güzel time to present her oral and written statements of defense separately. 

Commission proposed by AKP's Bozdağ

Presiding the Joint Commission, ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Yozgat MP Bekir Bozdağ said: "Let's make the negotiations based on the report to be submitted by the Drafting Commission. We will authorize the Drafting Commission to make written correspondence. New information, documents and additions may come to the file. If our commission makes the detailed examination based on the report after seeing them too, we will give a more sound, correct and swift decision."

The recommendation of Bozdağ was accepted at the meeting yesterday (January 21) and a Drafting Commission has been established.

Drafting Commission convened

The Parliamentary Drafting Commission, established upon this decision, had its first meeting yesterday.

The duties have been delegated to five members elected to the Commission: AKP Kırıkkale MP Ramazan Can has become the chair, AKP Mersin MP Zeynep Gül Yılmaz has become the spokesperson; AKP İstanbul MP Abdullah Güler, Republican People's Party (CHP) Antalya MP Rafet Zeybek and HDP Batman MP MEhmet Rüştü Tiryaki have become members.

Accordingly, the Drafting Commission has decided to send a notification to Semra Güzel for her written and oral defense. In the notification, Güzel has been requested to make her written defense until January 28 and make her oral defense until January 31 at 2 pm.

What happened?

The pictures of HDP Diyarbakır MP Semra Güzel with Volkan Bora, who was killed in an airstrike of the Turkish Armed Forces in 2017, have recently been revealed. Semra Güzel has said that Bora was his "fiance" and the picture was "taken during the resolution process".

After the pictures were published and broadcasted by pro-government media outlets, AKP Chair and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, "We have swiftly sent this to the joint commission. The necessary will be done. We don't want to see such people at the Parliament."

Saying that she was not affiliated with any political party when the pictures were taken, Güzel has asked why no investigation has been launched so far into the pictures found on Volkan Bora. She has argued that the pictures taken 5 years ago are used as a "plot" against her.

A summary of proceedings has been issued against Güzel to lift her legislative immunity and sent to the Joint Parliamentary Commission.

Before the Joint Commission convened on January 20, 2022, İYİ Party Chair Meral Akşener and main opposition CHP Parliamentary Group Deputy Chair Özgür Özel announced that they would vote in favor of the summary of proceedings against Semra Güzel. (TP/SD)