4 detained in protest against reserve zones in quake-torn Hatay

Burcu Özkaya Günaydın / DUVAR

The residents of Aksaray, Saraykent, and Akasya neighborhoods in Turkey’s southern Hatay province on June 6 protested the practice of reserve zones. The neighborhoods are located in Hatay’s quake-torn Antakya district.

The police attacked the earthquake victims and detained four people among them.

Turkish Parliament on Nov. 8 enacted the amendments to the urban transformation law that allows the government to declare areas with risk-free buildings, parks, and military areas as reserve zones for urban transformation "against earthquake risk.”

These lands are transferred to the Treasury and residents are expected to move within a few months.

One of the protestors said, “They will give me 10,000 liras... It's despotism, we don't accept it. (let them come) we won't give them our house.”

The residents chanted, “We won't leave our homes,” and “No to reserve areas.”

The Environment and Urbanization Ministry’s provincial director İsmail Ceylan later came to the protestors, and claimed that the neighborhoods were not declared as reserve zones. “People need houses. The state does not bargain with its people, the people do not bargain with the state, the state protects them.”

The residents refuted Ceylan, saying some of the houses received a notification of the reserve zone.

Meanwhile, the police also attacked press members during the protest.

Hatay was the most affected province by the 7.7 and 7.6-magnitude earthquakes that struck southeastern Turkey on Feb. 6, 2023.

At least 23,000 people died, thousands of buildings were destroyed and hundreds of thousands were left homeless in the province.

(English version by Alperen Şen)