Turkey’s parliament passed a constitutional amendment May 20 that revokes the immunity of current lawmakers in a move designed to prosecute members of the Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) and oust them from parliament. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) voted in favor of the amendment, backed by a number of deputies from the main opposition, center-right Republican People’s Party (CHP).

Under the bill, parliament members under criminal investigation will see their files sent directly to the judiciary. The amendment affects 148 lawmakers who are the subject of 667 cases that prosecutors have already reported to the parliament speaker’s office, related commissions and the Justice Ministry. The bulk of those probes target HDP deputies. Of the 59 HDP lawmakers, 53 face charges in 405 cases, including 206 related to terror offenses, the overwhelming majority of which stem from their expression of “objectionable” views.

While the amendment does not distinguish between parties, its spirit directly targets the HDP. Without mentioning the party, the preamble of the draft bill, submitted April 12 with the signatures of all AKP deputies, accused HDP lawmakers of “providing physical, spiritual and moral support to terrorism.” The Turkish public, it said, “believes those deputies abuse their constitutional immunities and wants parliament to allow the trial of those who have committed such acts.”

The move brings to mind the political turmoil of 1994, when the parliament lifted the immunity of eight Kurdish deputies on grounds they belonged to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and pursued a separatist agenda. The deputies were bundled into police cars outside parliament and whisked away to jail. Since no one in Turkey would argue today that the ouster of the Kurdish deputies contributed to security and stability 22 years ago, what could possibly explain the current push for its repetition on an even larger scale?