Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Turkish court rules against Taksim Square building project that triggered nationwide anti-government demonstrations

 

Agency
Wednesday 03 July 2013 13:40 EDT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A court has ruled against a building project in Istanbul that triggered nationwide anti-government demonstrations.

Authorities were expected to appeal against the decision to cancel a project to redevelop Taksim Square in the city centre, which became the centre of protests and violent clashes with police last month. But the ruling marked a significant victory for a coalition of political forces opposed to the project.

The administrative court made its ruling in early June, at the height of the unrest, according to a lawyer for the plaintiffs. It was not clear why it was not released until now.

The Taksim Square project, which would have involved cutting down trees and erasing nearby Gezi Park, became symbolic of what opponents of the Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, regarded as an increasingly high-handed form of government. Police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse crowds there and at demonstrations in other cities.

Mr Erdogan said on 14 June that his government would wait for the judiciary to rule, including the appeals process, before proceeding with the Taksim development, which was seen as one of his pet projects.

Reuters

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in