A Turkish parliamentarian, Hasan Bitmez, passed away on Thursday, just two days after suffering a heart attack during a parliamentary session where he criticized the government’s stance on Israel.
Bitmez, 54, a member of the opposition Felicity (Saadet) Party, breathed his last at Ankara City Hospital, as announced by Health Minister Fahrettin Koca.
Bitmez, a graduate of Cairo’s Al Azhar University, served as the chairman of the Centre for Islamic Union Research and had a background working with Islamic non-governmental organizations.
His parliamentary biography revealed that he was a married father of one.
The official parliamentary broadcast captured the moment when Bitmez collapsed on the floor after delivering a speech at the general assembly.
During his address, he condemned President Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AK Party for maintaining trade relations with Israel amid the conflict in Gaza, accusing them of being accomplices to Israel’s actions.
In his passionate speech, Bitmez stated, “You allow ships to go to Israel and shamelessly call it trade… You are Israel’s accomplice,” placing a banner on the podium that read: “Murderer Israel; collaborator AKP.”
He went on to accuse the government of having “the blood of Palestinians on their hands” and being collaborators in every bomb dropped on Gaza.
Following the speech, Bitmez collapsed, prompting fellow MPs to rush to his aid.
Health Minister Koca revealed that an angiography later indicated complete blockage of the two main veins in his heart.
Despite initial resuscitation efforts in parliament, Bitmez was transferred to the hospital within 20 minutes, where medical equipment sustained his life.
Bitmez, affiliated with the small Islamist Saadet Party, had aligned with the main opposition bloc in the May presidential elections, supporting challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu against Erdogan, who ultimately secured victory.
The alliance agreement allowed Saadet Party deputies like Bitmez to secure parliamentary seats through inclusion in the main opposition party CHP lists.
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