The Turkish parliament has agreed to discuss a bill proposed by the conservative Kurdish party “Huda-Par” to revoke the citizenship of Turkish dual nationals who participate in the genocide in Gaza as part of the Israeli occupation forces.
The bill received broad support from all parties represented in parliament, except for the Republican People’s Party and the Peoples’ Democratic Party with a Kurdish background.
The bill aims to enhance the parliament’s ability to investigate crimes related to genocide and crimes against humanity independently of political considerations.
It calls for imposing strict penalties on citizens who voluntarily join foreign armies and commit these crimes, as well as confiscating their properties if they do not return to Turkey within three months of being summoned for investigation.
An Important Step
Mahmoud Shahin, Vice President of “Huda-Par,” considered the approval to discuss the bill an important step towards legitimizing the project.
Shahin told Al Jazeera Net that the party could not stand idly by in the face of the massacres committed by the occupation army in Gaza, while some Turkish nationals participate in these crimes and boast about them.
He noted that the party had presented the draft bill to all parties in Turkey, expressing openness to any proposals that could improve the project. He mentioned that parties like “Saadet” and “New Welfare” had shown readiness to help.
Shahin emphasized that the coming period would determine whether the parliament would adopt the law, calling on all Turkish parties to vote in favor of the bill and not to give those who tarnish the reputation and principles of the Turkish Republic by participating in genocides with foreign countries a chance.
Shahin explained that the bill includes four main points:
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- Granting the authority to initiate trials for crimes against humanity in Turkey upon the request of the Minister of Justice or a parliamentary decision, instead of the authority being solely in the hands of the minister.
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- Punishing those who serve in the army of a foreign country without Turkish government permission if they commit the specified crimes in Articles 76 and 77 of the Turkish Penal Code, with their properties in Turkey being confiscated.
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- Adding provisions to the Turkish Nationality Law to strip Turkish nationality from those who commit genocide and crimes against humanity.
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- Using the confiscated properties of those who lost their Turkish nationality due to committing crimes against humanity to fund the Family and Youth Fund.
Implications of the Decision
The decision received widespread interaction among social media activists, who expressed their happiness with the parliament’s approval to discuss the bill, considering it necessary to put an end to those who tarnish Turkey’s reputation with their criminal actions in Gaza.
Legally, legal researcher Anas Ozkaya explained to Al Jazeera Net that the next phase involves the Supreme Committee of the Parliament studying the bill’s articles and assessing the legality of its implementation. Afterwards, the bill will be presented again to parliament members for approval and adoption as a legal amendment that can be implemented.
Ozkaya noted that “Huda-Par” proposed granting the parliament the authority to raise cases against war criminals worldwide, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He added that this law already exists but currently falls under the Ministry of Justice’s jurisdiction, and transferring this authority to the parliament would ease the government’s embarrassment in making such decisions.
According to Turkish media sources, there are hundreds of Israeli soldiers holding Turkish nationality.
