29 Suicide Attempts in Parliament in 9 Years

* Photo: Gamze Akkuş İlgezdi

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Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Vice Chair and İstanbul MP Gamze Akkuş İlgezdi has shared the answer of Parliamentary Deputy Speaker Süreyya Sadi Bilgiç to her Parliamentary question on suicide attempts in the Parliament between 1980 and 2019.

Referring to his answer, Akkuş İlgezdi has announced that 29 suicide attempted suicides have taken place in Parliament in the past 9 years.

In his answer to Akkuş İlgezdi, Bilgiç has said, "At the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM); two people attempted to commit suicide in 2010, three people in 2011, one person in 2012, eight people in 2013, one person in 2014, two people in 2015, two people in 2016, one person in 2017, four people in 2018 and 5 people in 2019. Taken together, 29 people have attempted to commit suicide in the Parliament in the last 9 years."

In her Parliamentary question, CHP MP Akkuş İlgezdi actually requested the suicide data for the years 1980-2019. However, the Speaker's Office has only shared the data for the last nine years, which has manifested that suicide data was not kept by the Parliament before 2010.

Akkuş İlgezdi has also indicated that according to the data shared by Deputy Speaker, none of these suicide attempts have ended in death.

39 suicide negotiators in Parliament

In her Parliamentary question, CHP's İlgezdi also asked, "Are there any personnel from the Hostage Rescue and Negotiation Team of Directorate General of Security tasked with suicide negotiation within the body of Speaker's Office? Are you thinking of establishing a negotiation team for citizens attempting to commit suicide within the body of Speaker's Office?"

Bilgiç has answered, "Senior officials ofTBMM Department of Security Directorate and 39 personnel were trained in Hostage Negotiation and they perform duties within the frame of designated principles."

'Government turns a blind eye'

Raising her concerns over the recently increasing incidents of suicide in Turkey, CHP MP Akkuş İlgezdi has emphasized that the government has been turning a blind eye to the subject.

"According to data for 2018, 3,161 people took their own lives. In other words, 61 people committed suicide per week in 2018", the MP has indicated and added, "According to official figures, 47,537 citizens in total have taken their onw lives during the rule of Justice and Development Party (AKP). Accordingly, 8 people have ended their lives per day in the last 16 years." (HA/SD)