Lawmakers in Turkey draw blood in brawl during debate on jailed colleague

ISTANBUL (AP) — A brawl has broken out among Turkish lawmakers during a heated debate over the fate of a jailed opposition delegate. Televised footage showed Ahmet Sik, a representative from the imprisoned deputy’s party, being approached and attacked Friday by a lawmaker from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party. In a scuffle involving dozens of deputies, a female lawmaker was struck, leaving drops of blood on steps leading the speaker’s lectern. Physical tussles are not uncommon among Turkey’s parliamentarians. “Instead of words flying in the air, fists are flying, there is blood on the ground,” said Ozgur Ozel, who heads the largest opposition party. The session was called to debate the case of Can Atalay, whose imprisonment is widely considered to be politically motivated.