Istanbul Governor issues new restrictions on Istiklal Avenue after deadly blast
Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya has issued new restrictions on Istiklal Avenue where the deadly blast killed six people, preventing street musicians from performing.
Duvar English
Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya on Nov. 25 issued some restrictions on iconic Istiklal Avenue.
The move came after the blast hit the Avenue on Nov. 13, killing six people and injuring 81.
Accordingly, the shopkeepers are not allowed to put tables, chairs and boards to the Avenue. Exhibitions are not allowed as well.
Organizing social, cultural or commercial events are not allowed. The regulation also prevents street musicians from singing on the Avenue.
A blast hit Istanbul’s Istiklal Avenue on Nov. 13. Television news reports showed images of a person, who appeared to be a woman, leaving a package below a raised flower bed in Istiklal Avenue, a popular spot for shoppers and tourist, with a tramline running the length of the street.
Turkey on Nov. 14 blamed the Kurdistan Worker' Party (PKK) for the blast that killed six people and injured more than 80.
No group has claimed responsibility for the blast on the busy pedestrian avenue, and the PKK and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have denied involvement.
Police have detained 50 people as part of the investigation into the blast, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ was quoted as saying by state-owned Anadolu Agency on Nov. 15.
The suspected bomber, a Syrian woman named Ahlam Albashir, was detained early on Nov. 14 at a house raid in Istanbul.