Turkish MP dies as debate descends to a brawl

A Turkish MP died of a heart attack after a parliamentary debate degenerated into a brawl.

A Turkish MP died of a heart attack after a parliamentary debate degenerated into a brawl.

Mr Mehmet Fevzi Sihanlioglu (55) was rushed to hospital where doctors said all efforts to revive him failed.

The violence, which included a number of glass cups being thrown, erupted over moves to give opposition MPs less time during debates.

Rival MPs punched Mr Sihanlioglu, from the opposition centre-right True Path Party, when he tried to break up a fight between two deputies.

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He walked out of the hall and suffered the heart attack while MPs continued fighting inside.

Former prime minister Ms Tansu Ciller, who heads True Path, said Mr Sihanlioglu died trying to fend off moves to "silence the people's pulpit".

"He is a martyr of democracy," a solem-looking Ms Ciller told reporters as she left the hospital. At least one MP was injured by a hurled glass.

PA