Mass brawl erupts in Turkish parliament as controversial new minister is sworn in

A brawl broke out in the Turkish parliament as MPs clashed over a controversial newly appointed minister. On Wednesday (11 February), lawmakers from the ruling AK Party and the opposition clashed over the appointment of Istanbul Chief Prosecutor Akin Gurlek as the new justice minister. Since his appointment as Istanbul chief prosecutor in 2024, Gurlek has overseen a wave of arrests and indictments targeting the Republican People's Party (CHP), the main opposition party. Footage shows legislators pushing each other as they tried to stop Gurlek from taking the oath, with some even throwing punches. He was eventually sworn into the role, after the speaker was forced to halt proceedings for 15 minutes.