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Turkey

Unemployed Turkish man sets himself alight, saying his children are hungry

The incident occurred after he was refused entry to the town hall when he asked to see Gaziantep Mayor Fatma Sahin.

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An unemployed Turkish man set himself on fire in front of a town hall in the southeastern
Gaziantep province, where he was formerly employed by the metropolitan municipality, pro-
Kurdish Mezopotamya News Agency (MA) reported on Tuesday.

According to the agency’s report, the man, who was discharged from his job at the municipality two years ago, screamed out, “My children are hungry. I have been unemployed for two years. I didn’t even receive any compensation. I don’t get unemployment payment.”

The incident occurred after he was refused entry to the town hall when he asked to see Gaziantep Mayor Fatma Sahin.

People who witnessed the attempted self-immolation, stepped in with a fire extinguisher to put out the flames. The man was then sent to the hospital under police supervision, stated the agency.

Turkey has been going through currency and debt crisis, characterized by the Turkish lira
decreasing in value, high inflation rates, rising borrowing costs, and unemployment figures.
The country’s latest unemployment rate of 13.5 percent marks a 10-year high.

Previously, both Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his son-in-law, Berat Albayrak, who is also the country’s Finance Minister, had promised that the country had now moved past its worst economic troubles.

In February, the government and the Union of Chambers & Commodity Exchanges began efforts towards increasing employment, promising jobs for 2,5 million people.

Source: ipa

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