Last week, the Turkish parliament voted overwhelmingly to lift the constitutionally protected parliamentary immunity of its members of parliament (MPs). The decision is the latest blow to free speech and accountability in the country, and could have a seismic effect on both Turkey’s democracy and its government’s war against pro-Kurdish movements.

Of 550 MPs, 135 members — from all four parties — will be affected. The Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), the first pro-Kurdish party to be elected to parliament, could be worst hit: nearly all of its representatives now face prosecution, often related to charges of “membership in a terrorist organization.”

Parliamentary immunity is a mechanism designed to protect the free speech of representatives from interference by the judiciary, executive, or other non-elected bodies. Removing it at this point — with most of parliament obedient to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) — risks leading to even more antidemocratic practices in Turkey.