Turkish police brutally detain man for protesting cost-of-living crisis outside Social Services Ministry building

Turkish police battered and detained a person who went to the central building of the Family and Social Services Ministry and shouted "I am hungry and I cannot make a living; I cannot pay my rent.”

Duvar English

Turkish police on Aug. 21 brutally detained a person who went to the door of the central building of the Family and Social Services Ministry and protested country's cost-of-living crisis.

The man aged 45-50 shouted, "I am hungry and I cannot make a living; I cannot pay my rent. What should I do, kill myself,” according to the information obtained by the daily BirGün.

The police quickly detained the man, using force and reverse handcuffs in the process.

One of the duties of the Family and Social Services Ministry is to "ensure that those below the extreme poverty line are included in the social assistance system and are lifted out of extreme poverty."

The number of households covered by the Turkish Family Support Program, which includes citizens below the extreme poverty line, increased from 2.5 million in 2022 to 3.6 as of June 2023 while the economy crisis deepened.

The hunger threshold for a family of four in July was 11,658 Turkish liras ($428) while the minimum wage was 11,402 liras ($419).

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