This week, I watched police attack groups of people walking to Taksim Square on Istiklal Street, a pedestrian road with no vehicle traffic. The people had just exited a meeting where they discussed and protested the recent midnight action by the AKP-dominated parliament – the action stripped the Union of Turkish Architects and Engineers (TMMOB) of its right to be informed of, and have authority to review, all public projects and zoning changes.
The TMMOB has done a lot of public good since it was established by law as a nonprofit public organization in the 1930s. One of their recent challenges to the government involved going to court over Gezi Park to get a ban on the project there. Now that the control/inspection right has been taken from them, there is no hurdle to stop the government from proceding with any construction project they want, including building shopping malls and mosques in city parks.
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