Turkey: RP backs Contra-Guerrilla

Mon Aug 18 18:00:00 BST 1997

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                                                       Hannover, 16.08.97.

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Aug. 15 1997:

                     Agar and Bucak retain their immunity

     * Parliament's Constitution and Justice Commission rejects lifting
       the immunity of the two True Path Party deputies implicated in the
       state-mafia link scandal known as 'Susurluk'

  _________________________________________________________________

TDN Parliament Bureau

Ankara - The Mixed Parliamentary Commission on the Constitution and
Justice has refused to lift the parliamentary immunity of True Path
Party (DYP) deputies Mehmet Agar and Sedat Edip Bucak, both of whom
have been implicated in the scandal known to the public as "Susurluk,"
linking the state and with criminal elements.

The Mixed Commission met on Thursday following a request put in by the
Motherland Party (ANAP), the Democratic Left Party (DSP) and the
Republican People's Party (CHP) to review a subcommission report on
Agar and Bucak.

The subcommission had decided that the parliamentary immunity of these
two deputies could be removed so that they could answer the
allegations against them in the Supreme Court.

In the Mixed Commission, 18 deputies voted for the lifting of their
immunity while 21 deputies voted against.

ANAP deputy Ekrem Pakdemirli, breaking with his party on this issue,
abstained during the vote while other deputies from ANAP, as well as
the DSP and CHP deputies present at the commission meeting, voted in
favor of the immunity of the two deputies being lifted.

The Welfare Party (RP) and DYP deputies in the Commission voted for
Agar's and Bucak's immunity from prosecution to remain in place.

The outcome from the Mixed Commission was the result of two factors,
the first being the fact that the Democratic Turkey Party (DTP), the
government's junior coalition partner, refused to send members to the
commission, and the second that three commission members each from
ANAP and DSP were absent during the voting.

Because the DTP has not notified the commission of the deputies it
will send, the RP and the DYP still retain the majority there.

Deputies who object to the outcome in the commission still have the
prerogative to try and have it heard in Parliamentary Assembly.

Ahmet Iyimaya, the head of the Mixed Commission, and a key DYP deputy,
has indicated that if they receive a written objection within 10 days,
the matter of Agar and Bucak's immunity can be taken up by the
Parliamentary Assembly.

But Iyimaya also pointed out that the Mixed Commission's report could
not be finalized quickly enough for the path to open this option
before Parliament goes into recess.

He predicted, therefore, that the vote on Agar and Bucak's immunity
could only by taken up by Parliament during its next legislative year
which opens in October.

The Mixed Commission also threw out an amendment which proposed that
the parliamentary immunity of deputies not be be lifted until Article
83 of the Constitution is amended. Only RP deputy Mehmet Ali Sahin
opposed this move. The Mixed Commission also decided that three
separate subcommissions be set up to investigate files concerning the
lifting of the parliamentary immunity of 65 deputies.

The Commission, with 63 files it has received previously, now has 120
files regarding lifting the immunity of 120 deputies so they can face
prosecution on various charges.

- -- 
Press-Agency Ozgurluk: http://www.ozgurluk.org
The struggle for human right, freedom, justice and democracy in Turkey
and Kurdistan
Mailinglistinfo: petidomo at ozgurluk.xs4all.nl

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