The move further reduced the parliamentary strength of the Democratic People’s Party (HDP), the second largest opposition party in the chamber. The party’s seats fell to 50 from 59 it won at the last election, and nine other HDP lawmakers are in detention and could also be stripped of their status.

Ahmet Yildirim, member of parliament for the eastern province of Mus, lost his seat after he was jailed for 14 months for insulting Erdogan.

Ibrahim Ayhan, a representative of the southeastern town of Sanliurfa, was sentenced to 15 months in prison for sharing online the photo of a Turkish citizen who died in the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobane while fighting Islamic State. He was convicted of sharing terrorist propaganda, Reuters reported.

The court rulings to strip the two lawmakers of their status were read out in parliament following their conviction.

Reporter’s code: 50101