Call from Intellectuals: Reject Proposal to Lift Parliamentary Immunity

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A group of academics, journalists, artists, politicians, NGO representatives and writers calling for the MPs to say “no” against Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) proposal of temporary Constitution change as to parliamentary immunity.

The intellectuals expressing that AKP’s proposal is unacceptable has used the following phrases in the declaration they shared with public:

* Parliamentary immunity and legislative irresponsibleness guaranteed by the Constitution cannot abrogated by a temporary clause conflicting the Constitution and law.

* MPs can in no way be deprived of their “right to defend”.

* Appeal to the Constitutional Court cannot be blocked.

* According to the very essential universal maxim of law, no legal or constitutional change can be implemented retrospectively.

* Mass lifting of parliamentary immunity conflicts principle of individual criminal responsibility and that leading to collective punishment is unacceptable.

* Today, this legislative proposal aiming to silence democratic opposition, disabling Parliament by domination of majority has a political lynching in its sight.

* For these reasons, we call for all MPs to not support and oppose this proposal conflicting universal maxim of law and deadlocking democratic politics.

Signatories:

Adalet Ağaoğlu, Ahmet Ümit, Akın Birdal, Ali Akel, Alper Taş, Aydın Engin, Prof. Dr. Ayşe Erzan, Ayşegül Devecioğlu, Doç. Dr. Ayşen Candaş, Baki Düzgün, Prof. Dr. Baskın Oran, Bekir Ağırdır, Prof. Dr. Binnaz Toprak, Celal Başlangıç, Cevat Öneş, Prof. Dr. Cihangir İslam, Fethiye Çetin, Doç. Dr. Fikret Başkaya, Fikret İlkiz, Prof. Dr. Fuat Keyman  Gani Kaplan, Prof. Dr. Gençay Gürsoy, Gülseren Onanç, Hasan Cemal, Hülya Gülbahar, Hüsnü Okçuoğlu, İbrahim Betil, Prof. Dr. İbrahim Kabaoğlu, Prof. Dr. Levent Köker, Levent Tüzel, Mehmet Emin Aktar, Melda Onur, Murathan Mungan, Nesrin Nas, Orhan Gazi Ertekin, Osman Kavala, Oya Baydar, Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, Ömer Madra, Rıza Türmen, Salman Kaya, Prof. Dr. Sevtap Yokuş, Süleyman Çelebi, Prof. Dr. Şebnem Korur Fincancı, Prof. Dr. Taha Parla, Tarhan Erdem, Prof. Dr. Turgut Tarhanlı, Ufuk Uras, Ümit Kardaş, Prof. Dr. Yakın Ertürk, Yücel Sayman, Ziya Halis, Zülfü Livaneli. (EKN/TK)