2013-07-22
ISTANBUL - A Turkish court on Monday overturned a judgment suspending the redevelopment of Istanbul's Gezi Park, the issue that sparked huge anti-government protests last month.
The regional administrative court reversed a May 31 decision by an Istanbul court to halt redevelopment work at the park, press agency Dogan reported.
But it is unclear whether the decision means work will resume at the park, because another Istanbul court ruled in June in a separate case that there should be no redevelopment because of a lack of public consultation.
Protesters said they were confident the controversial plans to raze the park and reconstruct an Ottoman-era military barracks on the site would not go forward.
"This order is unlawful. You can't even hammer a nail in the park because... (of the) Istanbul First Administration Court decision on the suspension of all construction efforts in the area," said lawyer Can Atalay, a noted opponent of the proposed development.
"This removal has no judicial effect. You need a construction plan to construct something in the first place. That plan is cancelled now," Atalay told news website Bianet.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Islamist-rooted government backs the redevelopment of the park.
Turkish police on May 31 violently dispersed hundreds of ecological activists who had gathered to protest the destruction of the park's 600 trees.
Anger over the authorities' heavy-handed response erupted into nationwide protests against the government and Erdogan, who many protesters accused of turning authoritarian and seeking to "Islamize" Turkish society.
According to police estimates, some 2.5 million people took to the streets in nearly 80 cities for three weeks to demand his resignation.
Five people were killed and more than 8,000 injured in the civil unrest.
Erdogan said on June 14 that his government will respect the courts' final decision on the park.
Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=60279.
ISTANBUL - A Turkish court on Monday overturned a judgment suspending the redevelopment of Istanbul's Gezi Park, the issue that sparked huge anti-government protests last month.
The regional administrative court reversed a May 31 decision by an Istanbul court to halt redevelopment work at the park, press agency Dogan reported.
But it is unclear whether the decision means work will resume at the park, because another Istanbul court ruled in June in a separate case that there should be no redevelopment because of a lack of public consultation.
Protesters said they were confident the controversial plans to raze the park and reconstruct an Ottoman-era military barracks on the site would not go forward.
"This order is unlawful. You can't even hammer a nail in the park because... (of the) Istanbul First Administration Court decision on the suspension of all construction efforts in the area," said lawyer Can Atalay, a noted opponent of the proposed development.
"This removal has no judicial effect. You need a construction plan to construct something in the first place. That plan is cancelled now," Atalay told news website Bianet.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Islamist-rooted government backs the redevelopment of the park.
Turkish police on May 31 violently dispersed hundreds of ecological activists who had gathered to protest the destruction of the park's 600 trees.
Anger over the authorities' heavy-handed response erupted into nationwide protests against the government and Erdogan, who many protesters accused of turning authoritarian and seeking to "Islamize" Turkish society.
According to police estimates, some 2.5 million people took to the streets in nearly 80 cities for three weeks to demand his resignation.
Five people were killed and more than 8,000 injured in the civil unrest.
Erdogan said on June 14 that his government will respect the courts' final decision on the park.
Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=60279.
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