TURKEY: Building Collapses & more – 4th Jun 2024

Merhaba from BA! This is the Rorshok Turkey Update from the 4th of June twenty twenty-four. A quick summary of what's going down in Turkey.

On Sunday the 2nd, a building in Istanbul's Küçükçekmece district collapsed, killing one and injuring nine. The deceased was a Turkmenistan national, and a mother and her baby are in critical condition. Mehmet Özhaseki, The Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change Minister, reported that the thirty-six-year-old building had illegal additions and used sea sand, compromising its structure. The police detained the building owner and the owner of the restaurant on the ground floor of the building. Inspections confirmed non-compliance with architectural standards. A neighbor said the building owner had refused urban renewal. The collapse once again raised concerns about Istanbul’s infrastructure amid fears of the Big Istanbul Earthquake, which is expected to measure over 7.0 on the Richter scale. Minister Özhaseki estimated 600,000 flats could collapse, emphasizing the city’s unpreparedness for a major quake.

Moving on to elections… The Supreme Election Council, or YSK, held repeat local elections in three districts and four towns across Turkey. Voting began at eight a.m. and ended at five p.m., with preliminary results starting to come in after seven p.m. Results haven’t been official, but apparently the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, won three mayoral seats, the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, got two, and the Democracy and People’s Equality Party and Nationalist Movement Party won one each.

Ahmet Yener, YSK’s Chairman, stated that there were no issues during the elections.

On that note about elections…On Monday the 3rd, Turkish police detained Mehmet Sıddık Akış, the pro-Kurdish Democracy and People’s Equality Party mayor of Hakkari province. The Interior Ministry stated that they believed Akış had a high-level role within the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, which Turkey deems a terrorist organization. The ministry added that it appointed a trustee mayor in Akış’s place. This comes only two months after Akış won local elections. Looking at past municipal elections, Turkey has almost consistently detained and removed pro-Kurdish mayors, accusing them of terrorism, and replacing them with state officials.

This moved caused nationwide backlash. On Tuesday the 4th, many people gathered in different cities to protest against trustee mayors and demanded that the government respected the people’s will, that is, the election results.

Every now and then, we get some good economic news… Following efforts to combat illegal financial flows, Turkey is set to be removed from the gray list of a financial monitoring organization, potentially boosting its economy. The Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (or FATF) noted significant progress during a recent visit, suggesting Turkey may be delisted on the 28th of June at the FATF's meeting in Singapore. This change could attract capital to Turkey and develop an economy comparable to Saudi Arabia’s. For removal, Turkey needs substantial support from FATF members, with any dissent potentially keeping it on the list.

Moving on… The Turkish Constitutional Court (or AYM) revoked a regulation allowing the president to appoint university rectors, deeming it unconstitutional. The AYM ruled that rector appointments cannot be made via decree and granted a one-year grace period for a new legal framework. Current rectors appointed by decree can remain in their positions. However, future appointments will require a new law.

Last week we talked about stray dogs, and here’s what President Erdoğan’s said on the matter... On Wednesday the 29th of May, he stated there are around four million stray dogs in the country and they pose a growing rabies threat, with over four hundred thousand rabies-risk incidents reported in twenty twenty-three. He also added that some countries have begun warning tourists about the risk of rabies in Turkey. He also said dogs also make the streets unsafe for pedestrians, as there are tons of dog attack reports every week coming from all over the country.

The Ministry of Agriculture is working on a comprehensive solution, including establishing dog shelters in areas that don’t have them and promoting adoption campaigns. Animal lovers are encouraged to adopt more animals from shelters to address the issue collaboratively.

Recall that In two thousand four, Turkey enacted an Animal Protection Law, elevating animals from property to beings.

Speaking at a meeting hosted by Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, Özhaseki launched the Seas Belong to the People project in response to public complaints about illegal establishments and the privatization of beaches that make it hard for people to find a good spot to enjoy the coast. Özhaseki emphasized the government's commitment to ensuring public access to the seas. The initiative aims to enforce constitutional responsibilities, remove illegal structures along the coast, and ensure public benefit. Özhaseki highlighted the importance of collaboration between government and citizens, introducing a hotline for reporting encroachments. He assured that the goal is not to hinder tourism but to eliminate illegal structures and maintain lawful coastal tourism activities.

Onto some environmental news… On Friday the 30th, Acar Ünlü, the Mayor of Marmaris, conducted a surprise inspection at the controversial hotel and shopping mall project: the Sinpaş Marmaris Kızılbük project, ordering an immediate halt to construction activities. The project started thirty years ago and still hasn’t been completed because it changed hands many times, and due to the mayor’s intervention. It overlooks the beautiful coast of İçmeler. The project is built in a forest with a national park status. This forbids any kind of construction in the area. But despite this, the company used detonators and cut down trees, damaging the national park. Because of rising protests, back in twenty twenty-one, the government issued a ban on the construction, and the company halted the project.

However, recent reports revealed ongoing work, prompting the mayor's intervention. With the help of municipal officers, Ünlü inspected the entire site and confirmed illegal construction activities. He emphasized that the construction must stop and left municipal teams on-site to ensure compliance.

Let’s see what the parliament is up to… On Thursday the 30th of May, the Turkish parliament passed a bill prohibiting Turkish armed forces personnel from sharing content about their identities on social media. According to the bill, they are to only share their identities, duties, or activities with Defense Ministry authorization and violators will face disciplinary punishment.

The Turkish Armed Forces stated the ban is to protect national security and personnel reputation. Multiple incidents of personnel sharing sensitive information on social media prompted this measure.

Along with this bill, the parliament also removed a provision barring retired military personnel from making public comments about the country’s affairs. The bill still needs presidential approval.

The Minister of Labor and Social Security announced an initiative to provide financial support for working mothers. Through this initiative, the ministry aims to help new mothers stay in formal employment by addressing childcare responsibilities. The ministry further added that to cover childcare expenses, it will give mothers who reside in İzmir, İstanbul, and Ankara 325 Euros or 350 US Dollars monthly for one year. The applications started on Monday the 3rd via e-Devlet. The ministry will pick a total of seven thousand women.

And to wrap up this edition, The Transport and Infrastructure Minister announced that Türksat 6A, the country’s first domestically produced communications satellite, has completed its construction and testing phases and is now being packaged for shipment to its launching address. The satellite will be sent to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Tuesday the 4th of June. The minister highlighted that Türksat 6A is ready for launch, with final preparations underway, and it is expected to be sent into space in July.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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