23/01/2024 | Writer: Canan Coşkun
The governorship, the ministry, pro-government media, pro-government associations and AKP-led politicians want the Tarlabaşı Community Center to be closed down on various justifications. On the other side, Tarlabaşı residents continue to face discrimination behind the Taksim 360 buildings.
The Ministry of Family and Social Services and the İstanbul Governorship want the Association for Supporting Tarlabaşı Community (known as Tarlabaşı Community Center - TTM) to be closed down. Why would they want to close down an association that aims to strengthen the Tarlabaşı community, which is excluded from social life and struggles with various deprivations caused by poverty and migration?
The ministry and the governorship claim that the association has fulfilled its function, while the residents behind the luxury buildings of Taksim 360, which illegally took over Tarlabaşı Boulevard, continue to experience the problems the association is fighting against.
In order to understand why this 18-year-old association is being closed down, we must have a look back in time.
What has befallen TTM?
Tarlabaşı is a district in the heart of İstanbul where ethnic and sexual identities excluded from society live. It has been a suburb in the middle of the city since the beginning of migration to the metropolis. That’s why it has become a place where properties change hands for the sake of rent. The foundations for this transformation were laid in the late 1980s.
The Essen Plan, which envisaged the demolition of historical buildings in Tarlabaşı, had lighted the blue touch paper regarding the transformation. The demolition was announced by the sociologist, anthropologist and journalist Semra Somersan in the 1 August 1986 issue of the Cumhuriyet newspaper in an article entitled “The German plan for the traffic in Istanbul”. It was a so-called traffic plan, but one of its authors, traffic psychologist Michael Geiler, was of the opinion that some buildings would have to be demolished for the widening of the boulevard. This plan, which emerged at the end of the 1980s, has been shaped over the years by the transformation policies of successive governments.
In 2006, 20,000 square meters of Tarlabaşı, an urban conservation area, was declared a ‘renewal area’ by the Council of Ministers. The Beyoğlu Municipality’s plan for Tarlabaşı was ostensibly for renewal, but in an interview with Radikal, the mayor at the time, Misbah Demircan, admitted that this was not the intention and that they were preparing a law to demolish Tarlabaşı. As the municipality did not offer property owners the opportunity to renovate together, some agreed to the price set, while others filed lawsuits to have the decision overturned. The project was awarded to GAP Construction, a subsidiary of Çalık Holding, of which Berat Albayrak, the son-in-law of President Tayyip Erdoğan, was once CEO. Since 2011, Tarlabaşı has been the scene of demolition and the eviction of residents from their neighborhoods. GAP Construction transformed Tarlabaşı Boulevard from end to end into five-star hotels, offices, apartments and shopping malls. Behind the facade of luxury apartments and workplaces, residents who could not afford to leave the neighbourhood continued to live.
Slaughtered neighborhood residents
Since its foundation in 2006, the Association for Supporting Tarlabaşı Community has been on the side of the local community throughout this gentrification process. The association has continued to work for the benefit of the masses victimized by the state’s anti-social policies. As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, sex workers and LGBTI+s were among the residents of the neighbourhood. While these people were systematically subjected to hate attacks, the attacks had reached a level that violated their right to life since the early 2000s. Ozan, who was murdered in his home in Tarlabaşı, Çağla Joker, who was killed in an armed attack, and Corti Emel, who was murdered with an axe, were among the hate crimes reported in the press. The Association for Supporting Tarlabaşı Community has been working and advocating against all kinds of discrimination in Turkey and the world, especially in Tarlabaşı, while the LGBTI+ residents of the neighbourhood were being murdered.
In 2002, earlier on coming to power, Tayyip Erdoğan had attended a program titled “Genç Bakış” (Young Vision) and had said: “It is a must that homosexuals are also legally guaranteed within the frame of their own rights and freedoms. Seeing the treatment that they face on television screens from time to time, we do not find such treatments humane.” Over time, these words have been disregarded. First it was Pride marches that were banned, then the bans were extended to the rainbow symbol itself. While the flag of the Caliphate could be carried at protests, the juxtaposition of the seven colors in clothing, banners and flags turned into an element of a crime.
Lawsuits were filed
The discriminatory and homophobic policies of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its supporters are criticized particularly women’s movement. This was most visible on March 8, the Feminist Night March, and on November 25, the Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The state, aware of the inclusiveness of the women’s movement, went into action and filed two lawsuits expressing its hostility in March 2022. The closure cases were filed firstly against TTM and then against We Will Stop Femicide Platform. “How to Protect LGBTI+ Students against Family and School Gripper?”
Association for Supporting Tarlabaşı Community has been targeted with defamatory news by pro-government media such as Yeni Şafak, Akit and Milat since June 25, 2021. TTM had organized a volunteering activity on June, 27, in 2021, in which the guidebook titled “How to Protect LGBTI+ Students against Family and School Gripper?” prepared by Kaos GL, would be discussed. However it was also pointed out as a target and the association had been audited several times in three months.
Following the audits, a lawsuit had been filed against the association by the Governorship of İstanbul at the 8th Civil Court of Peace, demanding the declaration of the expiration of the association automatically on account of the fact that “it has become impossible to realize the purpose of the association”.
An action for annulment of the association had also been brought at the 18th Civil Court of First Instance, with the indictment prepared by Public Prosecutor of İstanbul. The Publci Prosecutor claimed that “the propose of the association became “contrariety to law and morality” because of acting in a way that “encourages LGBTI+”. The court also granted the prosecutor's request for an injunction to suspend the association's activities without hearing the association.
CLICK - Ministry of Family requested Milat reporter to be heard as a witness in TTM case
Defamation campaign of Milat newspaper
After the lawsuit was filed at the Istanbul 8th Civil Court of Peace, the Milat newspaper, which had systematically targeted the association, once again tried to defame it, and the Ministry of Family and Social Services intervened in the case. The association’s lawyers learned that a closure case had been filed against the association from a tweet by the newspaper’s reporter, Özlem Doğan. How was Doğan, who is not a party to the case, informed about the case before the lawyers of the association? We would have a better understanding of this during the hearings of the case.
Özlem Doğan, a reporter for the Milat newspaper, attended the first hearing of the dismissal case at the Istanbul 18th Civil Court of First Instance on May 18. This time, she was not at the court to follow the case as a journalist. Along with Doğan, there were people in robes and turbans, who were most probably encouraged by her, in front of the courtroom. AKP Central Decision Executive Board (MKYK) member Mücahit Birinci was sitting in a corner watching the trial.
After the hearing had started, Özlem Doğan asked to get involved in the case as a complainant. Although the judge explained that it was not legally possible to be a complainant in such cases, she was with two lawyers with her. Mücahit Birinci and his bodyguards also watched the hearing in the courtroom, where only 5-6 people could sit. Doğan, who fell flat on her face, organized people in robes and turbans and threatened those who came to watch the hearing by saying: “Three of us are enough for all of you.”
The second trial of the case was heard in November, 2022. Özlem Doğan and organized people in robes and turbans this time encouraged by the Fikirde Birlik ve Mücadele Platformu (Consensus and Struggle Platform) were also in front of the courtroom. The ruling AKP was also a close follower of the case. Metin Külünk, another AKP-MKYK member, replaced Birinci as a spectator in the courtroom during the last hearing. A reply to the letter sent by the court to the institutions concerning the association's leaders was also received during this hearing. The reply of the police stated that there were no denunciations, complaints, investigations or prosecutions against the leaders.
Özlem Doğan never took her hand off this case. At the hearing of the case held on January 8 at the Istanbul 18th Civil Court of First Instance, the Ministry of Family and Social Services requested that Özlem Doğan be heard as a witness on the grounds that “she has done a lot of news on the issue and has footage”. Özlem Doğan was also in the courtroom at the time. The founder of the religiously-oriented Bir Avuç Humanitarian Aid Association, headquartered in Izmir, was also following the hearing. The lawyer of Hüseyin Hacıoğlu, one of the charter member of Bir Avuç Humanitarian Aid Association demanded to get involved in the case and requested that Özlem Doğan be heard as a witness. His request were rejected. The court rejected the The court decided to inquire whether the investigation at the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office’s Family Protection and Prevention of Violence against Women Department had been completed and postponed the case to May 6. The “determination of absence” case at the Istanbul 8th Civil Court of Peace is also ongoing.
The governorship, ministry, pro-government media, pro-government associations and AKP-led politicians want the Tarlabaşı Community Center to be closed down on various justifications. Sometimes they try to do this by making demands that have no place in legal proceedings, and sometimes by threatening to stand outside the courthouse: “Three of us are enough for all of you.” On the other side, Tarlabaşı residents continue to face discrimination behind the Taksim 360 buildings.
Translation: Selma Koçak
This article was published with the financial support of European Union. The content is under the responsibility of KaosGL.org and the opinions at the articles doesn’t necessarily reflect the opinions of European Union.
Tags: human rights, media, family
