Turkish Deputies Are Also Deprived of Freedom of Speech

• 07.28.2017, 16:07
• Greta Avetisyan
•  Region,  "Insight" Analytical Center ,  World,  Analytics

The violations of the freedom of speech in Turkey get new manifestations. The new bylaws in the Turkish Parliament (14 of 18 bylaws have already been adopted) intend to limit Deputies’ freedom of speech and expression.

The most controversial points of the new bylaws are the ones that cut the length of time a lawmaker can speak (from 10 minutes to three), reduce the amount of time lawmakers can debate a parliamentary motion (from 40 minutes to 14 minutes), as well as ban the use of the expressions Armenian Genocide, Kurdistan by the Deputies. By the way, those who would break the newly adopted bylaws will be ʺpunishedʺ: they will be temporary dismissed from the work of the Majlis and 1/3 of their salary will be kept (equivalent to about $ 3,000).

It is obvious that besides the prosecutions and arrests of the media representatives, activists, human rights defenders, Turkish authorities now carry out targeted work for silencing the opposition deputies. The steps taken against the deputies of the pro-Kurdish HDP, the arrests of its members are now replaced with more coordinated, institutional limitations, which, not being immediately directed against the opposition, partially solves the problem of anti-government speeches by the opposition deputies.

The fact that Turkey is now going towards the path of authoritarianism, gradually becomes clearer. Erdogan not only succeeded in carrying out constitutional changes without serious obstacles, expanding his powers, but today he also succeeds in almost smoothly carrying out the changes fixed in the new Constitution.