Retired Turkish police officer self-inflicts fatal wound during Ankara pension protest
Retired police officer Ali Şekeroğlu shot himself at a pension demonstration outside Ankara’s Constitutional Court and later died in hospital.
At a protest outside Turkey’s Constitutional Court in Ankara, 60-year-old retired police officer Ali Şekeroğlu shot himself and subsequently died in a hospital. Şekeroğlu, who has two children, carried a placard stating “Not for money, for our dignity” and told fellow demonstrators he could not make ends meet. The rally sought the inclusion of a 2023 across-the-board pay increase for public employees in retirees’ pensions, a request the court has yet to rule on after accepting an individual petition on September 18.
Following the shooting, organizers cancelled a scheduled statement, while lawyer Ali Erdem Gündoğan highlighted retirees’ inability to cover basic expenses. Opposition leader Özgür Özel and DEM co-chair Tülay Hatimoğulları warned of growing social unrest, and the DİSK union called for pensions that meet basic needs.
Why it matters
The death highlights deepening financial strain among Turkish retirees and could heighten pressure on pension policy reforms.
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