İYİ Party brings 'investigate police suicides' proposal to the agenda: Rejected by AKP and MHP votes

Speaking on the İYİ Party's proposal regarding the investigation of police suicides, CHP İzmir Deputy Murat Bakan stated that police officers who commit suicide tag Sedat Peker instead of the Ministry of Interior, saying, "The police officer who gives their life for their state has no hope in their own state," while İYİ Party Manisa Deputy Şenol Sunat reacted by saying, "If we leave those who provide security insecure, there is a management problem there." 

Explaining the justification for the proposal, İYİ Party Deputy Chairman and Manisa Deputy Şenol Sunat said, "Our police are restless, our police are unhappy, and unfortunately, our police are committing suicide; we cannot see this issue as a matter of numbers, but there are some figures that break hearts."

Drawing attention to the data from EMNİYETSEN, Sunat said, "In Turkey, 650 police officers committed suicide between 1996 and 2016, and 712 between 2017 and 2025. In other words, more police officers have committed suicide in the last nine years than in the previous twenty years. While 73 of our police officers ended their lives in 2024 and 82 in 2025, one of our police officers has committed suicide every five days so far in 2026. If we leave those who provide security insecure, there is a management problem there," he said.

Reminding of police officer Emrah Sevinç, who ended his life in Giresun last week, Sunat asked, "Just last week, in Giresun, a young police officer, Emrah Sevinç, ended his life in the prime of his youth, leaving behind a child. Before he died, he entrusted his daughter not to the state he served for years, but to another name; this is a heavy reproach directed at the state. If a police officer does not trust their state in their most desperate moment, shall we not question this, or shall we cover up institutional responsibility?"

"How many more of our police officers will we bury to solve these problems?"

Touching upon the severity of the working conditions of the police, Sunat directed the following criticisms at the government:

"How much longer will the government ignore, turn a deaf ear to, and pretend not to know about the suicide news, mobbing allegations, the weakening of professional security, working hours reaching two hundred and sixty hours per month, chronic fatigue caused by the 12/24 shift system, unpaid overtime, police officers who cannot spend time with their families, live in economic distress, are dragged into virtual betting, are left alone while performing their duties, and live under constant stress? Can we close the subject by still calling police suicides 'individual reasons'? The police force still does not have a comprehensive professional law; job descriptions, working hours, disciplinary processes, and personal rights are not clearly and fairly regulated. Police officers who stand on their feet all day at matches, rallies, and critical duties do not receive overtime pay. How many more of our police officers will we bury to solve these problems? Let us establish a Parliamentary research commission and investigate the causes of police suicides in all their dimensions. Let us not leave those who provide security insecure."

Bakan: Who is the killer, friends, who is the killer?

Speaking on behalf of the CHP Group regarding the İYİ Party's proposal, Chairman of the Interior Policy Board and İzmir Deputy Murat Bakan listed his criticisms of the government. Bakan said, "Who is the killer, friends, who is the killer? I said it clearly from this Parliamentary podium on June 23, 2021: If you reject this Parliamentary research motion, the responsibility for every police officer who commits suicide or attempts suicide from now on belongs to you. Today, I ask the same question again: Who is the killer? Now answer. Why are these young people committing suicide at such a young age, in the prime of their lives?"

CHP's Bakan said, "Our group deputy chairmen met with the AKP group deputy chairmen and all other political parties for a joint motion. The answer was no again. Now, I am addressing Ms. Leyla Şahin Usta from here: Come, be part of the solution, not part of this problem. If a joint motion needs to be submitted together, let us submit a joint motion, or let us collect everyone's motion and establish a joint Parliamentary research commission."

"He assigns a chief superintendent to the x-ray machine because he didn't wear a cap"

Stating that 10 police officers and 1 watchman ended their lives in 2026, Bakan gave the following example of mobbing allegations:

"One of them is a literature teacher serving in Hakkâri, Mehmet Cengiz, who is also my fellow townsman. I also met with his family; look, just because he didn't wear a cap because he was subjected to mobbing, the Provincial Police Chief assigns a chief superintendent to the x-ray machine to damage his honor and break his pride, and he ends his life because his honor was damaged. I have a promise to his father that I will not let this go."

"They don't tag the Ministers of Interior, they tag Sedat Peker"

Drawing attention to the social media post of police officer Emrah, who ended his life, Murat Bakan used the following expressions:

"His last post was this, friends: 'Always be by my daughter's side, always support her.' He tagged someone in his social media post; that someone is not Efkan Ala, not Süleyman Soylu, not Ali Yerlikaya, and not the fresh Minister of Interior Mustafa Çiftçi, friends, because the police know that the Ministry of Interior does not care about the police's troubles. Do you know who he tagged? He tagged Sedat Peker. The police officer who gives his life for his state has no hope in his own state, he does not tag the Ministers of Interior. Who does he tag? He tags Sedat Peker. The police are strange, the police are desperate, the police are alone, the police feel abandoned."

"It is our primary duty to keep the working conditions and morale and motivation of all our police officers at a high level"

Speaking on behalf of the AKP Group, AKP Antalya Deputy Kemal Çelik said, "It is our primary duty to keep the working conditions and morale and motivation of all our police officers at a high level. In this context, we are aware that police suicides are an important issue that we all need to focus on with sensitivity and solve the problems quickly. In order to increase the morale of our police officers and create awareness about psychological support practices, a practice of subjecting them to psychological evaluation at least once a year has been initiated. The Guidance and Psychological Counseling Branch Directorate also continues its activities for the more effective and comprehensive monitoring of all guidance and psychological support practices in the police organization."

The 'investigate police suicides' proposal brought to the agenda by the İYİ Party was rejected by the votes of AKP and MHP.

News Source: 12punto