Turhan Çömez visits retired police officer who attempted suicide in front of the Constitutional Court: Condition is extremely serious

Turhan Çömez visited the 60-year-old retired police officer who attempted suicide in front of the Constitutional Court at the Gazi University Emergency Department, where his treatment is ongoing. Stating that the retired police officer's health condition is "extremely serious and critical," Çömez said, "They are in a great struggle to bring him back to life."

Providing information regarding the retired police officer's health condition, Çömez spoke as follows:

"Our retiree has been experiencing very severe problems for years, but this tragedy has increased gradually over the last few months. They are rightfully seeking their rights. They are on the streets, in the squares, they are coming to the Parliament. They are saying, 'Find a solution to our plight.' And unfortunately, our retiree is currently struggling for life below the hunger threshold. Where else in the world is this seen? A country that gives its retirees half the amount of the hunger threshold. And we have millions of retirees trying to hold onto life with 23 thousand TL. I went to the Retirees' Cafe in Gönen recently. They said: 'Before the AKP came to power, we could buy 12 quarter gold coins with one pension. Now we can only buy two.' The retiree is crying out in agony.

Unfortunately, today, in that civil action and democratic protest held in front of the Constitutional Court, a retiree whose patience had run out, a 60-year-old retired police officer, unfortunately took his own life. It is a very grave incident, a very tragic event. I have spoken with all our doctor colleagues in the emergency room right now. His condition is extremely serious. They are in a great struggle to bring him back to life. I hope that with their efforts and God's help, he will return to life and join us. But I must emphasize that the situation is extremely critical.

“Let the government see this picture"

Of course, in a period in Turkey where fledgling youths are playing with hundreds of billions of liras in wealth, living a life of luxury and ostentation with billion-lira private jets and 750 million-lira yachts, and in a period where these gangs, who covet the labor of our people who have saved their pennies, live in debauchery, it is a very grave picture that our retirees are seeking their rights on the streets. There is a very clear message here to the government. The retiree has reached the end of their rope. The retiree has had enough. This oppression, this torment, this injustice has finally pushed the retiree to the limit.

When we bring this to the agenda in Parliament, the AKP members say, 'Well, what can we do?' They say, 'Retirees live too long, they live long lives. That's why we can't pay their pensions.' The AKP members say this. Another one says: 'Well, we don't have it,' they say. 'It's impossible, wouldn't we give it if we had it?' they say. It turns out there is. Your fledgling youths have taken away hundreds of billions, trillions. That money existed. You didn't give it to the retiree, you gave it to your cronies. One of them says: 'These are poor people anyway. They give to us. They will give to us in any case.' Now I am waiting for all AKP politicians at the Gazi University Faculty Emergency Department. Let them come and see what our retirees, whose living conditions have reached the breaking point, are doing, how they are taking their own lives. I came with sadness, I am leaving with pain. I hope our retired brother holds onto life and that the interventions currently being performed are correct and appropriate. I also wish my colleagues ease in their work. I am calling out to the government from here. Let them come and see this picture. Those who once talked about the cash register thrown by a tradesman in front of the Prime Ministry, those who made it their talking point and engaged in politics over it, should come to this hospital and see what the retiree has been reduced to while they were pouring the retiree's money into their cronies and the gangs around them, let them take a lesson and do what is necessary."