Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu

The General Assembly of the Constitutional Court will make the first examination of the case filed demanding the Peoples' Democratic Party's (HDP) closure on March 31.

On the same day, the high court will also examine the application made by former HDP MP Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu requesting the annulment of the decision to remove his parliamentary seat.

Turkish police early on March 21 detained Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), who was staging a protest in parliament, before he was released the same day after giving a statement to the police.

Turkish Foreign Ministry has slammed international criticism over the move to revoke the seat of opposition Peoples' Democratic Party's (HDP) lawmaker, saying that to criticize the move amounts to intervening in the Turkish judiciary and that all should respect the ongoing judicial process.

Taking Stock

Kosovo Acting President, Vjosa Osmani, L), and leader of Vetevendosje Movement, Albin Kurti, R), give a joint victory speech after the preliminary results of February 14 snap parliamentary elections showed Vetevendosje won by a landslide. Photo: BIRN/ Urim Krasnii

Prominent rights activist and MP Omer Faruk Gergerlioglu was stripped of his parliamentary status this week ahead of a jail sentence - but tells BIRN he will resist to the end.

Turkish Parliament Speaker Mustafa Şentop has informed that the parliament has received summary proceedings against 33 lawmakers, including those from the ranks of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP).

"A total of 33 summary proceedings were sent to the parliament last night. They include the members of the HDP as well," he told the reporters on Feb. 24.

Employees in Turkey's prisons will go into isolation for a "determined time span" and will not immediately go to their homes after their shifts, the justice minister has said.

"As of [March 30], prison staff will not be sent to their homes for a determined timespan and will stay at isolated locations," Abdulhamit Gül said on March 30.

Turkish prosecutors on March 25 launched a probe into Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) lawmaker Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu for a social media post in which he claimed there was a COVID-19-positive inmate in an Ankara prison.