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Turkish MP dies after suffering heart attack in parliament

Felicity Party (Saadet) Deputy Hasan Bitmez delivers a speech on the 2024 Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Internal Affairs budget shortly before collapsing in the Turkish Grand National Assembly in Ankara on Dec. 12, 2023. (AFP)
Felicity Party (Saadet) Deputy Hasan Bitmez delivers a speech on the 2024 Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Internal Affairs budget shortly before collapsing in the Turkish Grand National Assembly in Ankara on Dec. 12, 2023. (AFP)
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14 Dec 2023 11:12:14 GMT9
14 Dec 2023 11:12:14 GMT9
  • Hasan Bitmez was a member of parliament from the opposition Felicity (Saadet) Party

ANKARA: An opposition Turkish lawmaker died on Thursday two days after suffering a heart attack and collapsing in front of parliament, as he finished a speech criticizing the government’s policy toward Israel.

Hasan Bitmez, 54, a member of parliament from the opposition Felicity (Saadet) Party, died in Ankara City Hospital, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said told reporters.

A graduate of Cairo’s Al Azhar University, Bitmez was the chairman of the Center for Islamic Union Research and had previously worked for Islamic non-governmental organizations, his parliament biography shows.

He was married and a father of one.

Parliament’s official broadcast showed Bitmez collapsing to the floor after having been standing at the podium before the general assembly on Tuesday.

He had been criticizing President Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AK Party (AKP) over Turkiye’s ongoing trade with Israel despite the war in Gaza, and despite the government’s sharp rhetorical criticism of Israel’s military bombardment.

Reuters

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