2016-06-10 19:56 GMT -ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey’s Justice Ministry has sent dozens of cases involving 57 lawmakers to public prosecutors after the president lifted their legal immunity, it said Friday.
Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said 152 parliamentarians in the 550-seat assembly could eventually face prosecution for criminal The 152 deputies face 799 charges for offenses ranging from insulting the president to corruption and supporting terrorism.President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently approved a constitutional amendment lifting immunity from a pool of lawmakers.
The changes have been criticized by officials in the European Union and Germany and condemned by Turkish opposition lawmakers. Last week, Turkey’s highest court rejected a petition by opposition legislators to strike down the legislation.The vast majority of the charges — 511 out of 779 — have been levelled against deputies of the HDP, which entered the assembly for the first time last year.