Turkey's MHP signals readiness to lift immunity of HDP lawmakers

Turkey's main nationalist leader has signaled his willingness to lift the immunity of lawmakers from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) while also blaming the president and the government for the growth in recent militancy.

"If the immunity of the so-called HDP politicians is to be lifted, there is no obstacle before [Prime Minister Ahmet] Davuto?lu and the AKP [Justice and Development Party]. Let them come; let's resolve this problem completely in parliament. Let's finish it off entirely, let's facilitate the judiciary's business," MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli said.

Prosecutors last week opened a criminal investigation into the co-leaders of the HDP, Selahattin Demirta? and Figen Yüksekda?, over comments supporting a democratic autonomy model that could be applied throughout the country.

Over the weekend, President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an backed the probe, saying the pair should "pay the price" and be stripped of their immunity.

All of the HDP's deputies have said they are willing to forego their parliamentary immunity, while encouraging AKP colleagues to also do so.

The leaders of the HDP, which focuses on the Kurdish problem, attended a meeting of the Democratic Society Congress (DTK) held in the southeastern province of Diyarbak?r between Dec. 26 and Dec. 27, 2015, during which the establishment of democratic autonomous regions was presented as a solution to the Kurdish problem.

The attendees also asked for self-governance and embraced the "legitimate insurgency" in a number of southeastern districts, while also urging the people of Turkey to support their cause.

But Bahçeli also voiced his suspicions regarding "secret bargaining" between the AKP and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) amid...