Washington and Brussels have voiced their concern over moves by Turkey to ban the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP). 

On Wednesday, Turkey's chief public prosecutor set in motion legal proceedings to close down HDP, Turkeys third largest political grouping, claiming the party sought to "destroy the inseparable unity of the Turkish state and the nation" through the actions and statements of its members. 

The development came as another leading HDP parliamentarian, Omer Faruk Gergerlioglu, was removed from post and stripped of his legal immunity from prosecution. He now faces a prison sentence of up to two years related to a previous conviction dating from February 2018 in which he was accused of spreading propaganda for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) on social media.

The actions by state prosecutors come just a week ahead of renewed talks by European Union leaders over Turkey's hopes of accession to the bloc. 

In a statement, the U.S. State Department said dissolving the HDP "would unduly subvert the will of Turkish voters [and] further undermine democracy  in Turkey."

The European Parliament's rapporteur on Turkey, Nacho Sanchez Amor, added: "We firmly condemn the decision to strip Gergerlioglu of his parliamentary seat and immunity and his upcoming subsequent jailing." He added that the case "is another crude example of the dire situation of freedom of speech ... [and] attempts to limit pluralism and political debate [in Turkey]."

In response, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), a junior partner in the coalition government with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) described HDP as a "criminal organization disguised in a political cloak."

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has come under increasing pressure from Turkey's right wing to shutter the HDP completely in recent months. 

HDP, which made breakthrough gains in the 2015 general election to remove the AKP's legislative majority, has faced a renewed crackdown for its alleged links to the PKK, the outlawed paramilitary group that has waged a military campaign against the Turkish state for 40 years.  

Since the collapse of peace talks between the AKP and the PKK in 2015, dozens of HDP elected representatives have lost their legal immunity and been prosecuted for charges related to terrorism and imprisoned, most notably the party's two co-chairs Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag, who have been held for more than four years.

Prosecutors are also seeking to lift the parliamentary immunity of nine further HDP lawmakers, including its acting co-leader Pervin Buldan. Across Turkey, supporters of HDP have taken to the streets to voice their anger at events. 

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Gergerlioglu's expulsion from the Grand National Assembly comes just two weeks after Erdogan announced a reform program aimed at improving the country's troubled record on human rights, including measures to strengthen democratic participation and crack down on the unjust imprisonment of detainees. 

Sanchez Amor said the developments against HDP represent a "painful reality check" on those pledges, adding: "Actions speak louder than words."