| Spate of suicides at ASELSAN to be discussed in Parliament | |
| The Republican People’s Party (CHP) on Sunday filed a motion requesting the prime minister inquire into what could be the reason behind frequent and mysterious suicides among workers of Turkish defense-industry giant Aselsan. | |
| “Is the current atmosphere in the Aselsan company supportive of such suicides,” CHP’s Mehmet Tomanbay asked in his motion statement. The statement recalled that three acts of suicide had occurred in Aselsan in the past six months on Aug. 7, Jan. 16 and Jan 26. The statement briefly mentioned the history of Aselsan and highlighted that military equipment and devices was one of the most important production areas of the company. Tomanbay also highlighted his belief that Aselsan’s place in the Turkish defense industry, the country’s economy and its technological background made the company an irreplaceable asset. “Aselsan, which is of strategic importance for our country’s defense industry and technology employs the most valuable brains of our country, the alumni of Turkey’s most precious educational institutions. The fact that three engineers who all graduated from the Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ) committed suicide in six months does strike curiosity.” Tomanbay expects Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to answer whether Aselsan’s board was doing anything to investigate the recent suicides, whether there were any ties between the three suicides and whether the atmosphere at Aselsan was pressuring employees into suicide. |
