Turkey introduces bill to grant soldiers fighting 'terrorists' immunity

Turkey’s parliament has introduced a bill to grant immunity to soldiers involved in operations against designated “terrorist” groups.

Also according to the draft bill produced by the defence ministry, an offence committed by the security services will be deemed a “military crime” and will be tried in a military court.

The bill, introduced on Friday, will cover Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) personnel and civil servants “tasked within the battle against terrorism,” according to the Turkish Minute website.

The armed forces have been involved in military operations against groups affiliated to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) after a two-year ceasefire between the group and the Turkish state broke down in July 2015.

Among the other aspects of the bill, the investigation and trial processes of commanders and the chief of general staff will also require the prime minister’s permission.

In addition, it will enable army commanders to issue emergency search warrants for houses, work places or other private spaces.

The bill is backed by most of the large political parties, including the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).

According to the Turkish Minute website, the MHP described the bill as “a long overdue law".

However, the pro-Kurdish People's Democracy Party (HDP) denounced the bill as a "coup agreement between the government and the military".

It warned that the new law would hand unprecedented powers over to the military in a fashion similar to those which existed at the height of the PKK guerilla war in the 1990s.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) curbed the previously over-weaning power of the military after it came to power in the 2000s.

However, in recent years - particularly after the reigniting of the PKK conflict - there has been speculation that the army is regaining its former power and coming to detente with the AKP.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week claimed that the Turkish military had killed more than 7,600 members of the PKK in Iraq and Turkey, a figure heavily disputed by the group.

More than 40,000 people have died since the PKK launched its armed struggle agains the Turkish state for an independent Kurdistan in 1984, with human rights abuses reported on both sides.