On Thursday, an opposition Turkish lawmaker died two days after suffering a heart attack and collapsing in front of Parliament while finishing a speech criticizing the government's policy toward Israel.
Hasan Bitmez, 54, a member of Parliament from the opposition Felicity (Saadet) Party, died in Ankara City Hospital, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on TV.
According to his parliament biography, Bitmez, a graduate of Al Azhar University in Cairo, was the chairman of the Centre for Islamic Union Research and had previously worked for Islamic non-governmental organizations.
He was married with one child.
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Bitmez collapsed to the floor after standing at the podium before the general assembly on Tuesday, according to the official broadcast of Parliament.
He had been criticizing President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party (AKP) for continuing trade with Israel despite the war in Gaza and the government's harsh rhetorical condemnation of Israel's military bombardment.
After completing his speech, Bitmez collapsed on the floor, prompting other MPs to rush to assist.
An angiography revealed that the two central veins in his heart were blocked entirely, according to Koca.
"His heart stopped beating, then he was resuscitated in parliament and transferred within 20 minutes to hospital," Koca said on Tuesday, where medical machinery kept him alive.
In the May presidential elections, the small Islamist Saadet Party joined the main opposition bloc in supporting challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who defeated Erdogan.
The agreement between the alliance and Saadet allowed Saadet deputies like Bitmez to win seats in Parliament by being named on the main opposition party CHP lists.
