Post date: Jan 11, 2014 4:42:29 PM
Punches are thrown in the Turkish parliament as MPs debate judicial reform.
ANKARA, TURKEY (JANUARY 11, 2014) (AMATEUR VIDEO) - Turkish politicians threw punches and water bottles at each other during a debate on Saturday (January 11) about government control over the appointment of judges and prosecutors, as a battle over the ruling party's handling of a corruption scandal intensified.
One MP leapt on a table and threw a kick at colleagues as others wrestled and threw punches, with document folders, plastic water bottles and even an iPad flying through the air, a witness told Reuters.Parliament's justice commission was gathering to discuss a draft bill from Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party to give it more say over the judiciary when the scuffles broke out.
Witnesses said the fight erupted when a representative of a judicial union arrived with a petition arguing the bill was anti-constitutional but his case was not adopted on the agenda.