Abuse of Parliamentary Immunity by Members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly: A Comparative Study with United States, United Kingdom, and France
Keywords:
Parliamentary immunity, members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, the United States, the United Kingdom., FranceAbstract
Parliamentary immunity is one of the fundamental principles in democratic systems, designed to protect the independence of legislators in performing their parliamentary duties and to prevent political, judicial, and executive pressures. This study aims to compare the parliamentary immunity of members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran with that of the United States, United Kingdom, and France. In these countries, parliamentary immunity is implemented with certain limitations so that representatives benefit from this protection solely within the scope of their parliamentary activities. In contrast, in Iran, parliamentary immunity is more broadly defined, which may lead to its abuse. This research, based on a library method and comparative analysis, examines the differences and similarities of this principle in the mentioned countries and explores its effects on democracy and the separation of powers. The findings indicate that in the aforementioned countries, effective oversight mechanisms exist to control the exercise of parliamentary immunity, whereas in Iran, weak supervision and lack of transparency have created challenges in its proper implementation. The study concludes by emphasizing the need to strengthen oversight institutions and enhance transparency in Iran’s legal system to prevent the abuse of parliamentary immunity.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Seyyed Mehdi Mousavi (Author); Mohsen Hassanvand; Ahmad Rafiei, Maryam Afshari (Author)
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