Ex-interior minister’s immunity lift request incomplete, says Parliament speaker

Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus made significant comments in a live broadcast about the application by Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Istanbul MP Suleyman Soylu to lift his immunity.

Kurtulmus stated that the application alone is insufficient for removing Soylu’s immunity.

Kurtulmus contended that lifting the MP’s immunity requires a formal proceeding, a joint commission meeting, and a General Assembly discussion.

“We cannot process such a petition without these procedures,” he said.

Kurtulmus recalled that a similar situation happened in 2023 with Sakarya MP Umit Dikbayir’s application to lift his immunity.

According to Kurtulmus, the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has not submitted any requests for an extraordinary session of the Turkish Grand National Assembly on Sept.10.

“The extraordinary meeting concerning the Constitutional Court’s decision on Can Atalay has already been held and fully addressed. An extraordinary session cannot be requested again on the same issue. This meeting should not be trivialized,” he maintained.

Regarding the dispute during the Atalay session, Numan Kurtulmus said: “It did not reflect well on Türkiye or the Turkish Grand National Assembly.”

On Friday, July 26, Soylu applied to the Presidency of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, requesting the lifting of his legislative immunity.

In his petition, Soylu noted his 40-year political career, during which he has held various positions, and acknowledged that political institutions and figures frequently face allegations and accusations.