Okan BASAL
Istanbul

Minister of Internal Affairs, Suleyman Soylu announced that the convenience stores of monopoly goods would remain closed during the “complete lock down” period from Apr 29 to May 17, as previously ordered per the Covid-19 pandemic. During this period, as in the previous ban periods, it was stated that alcoholic beverages would not either be sold in the market chains for the reasons of “unfair competition.”

In the previous implementations, alcoholic beverage sale had been banned during the weekend curfews.

In Soylu’s public notice, despite that there was no mention of the ban for alcoholic beverage sales, he announced the ban as saying “Convenience stores of monopoly goods are not in the exceptions, and are closed. There is neither an exemption in it, nor is there an ambiguity. Our convenience stores will bear the sacrifice, too.”

Human rights activists and lawyers emphasized that this ban was unlawful, and it resulted in violation of rights. Political parties also stressed that the ban was ideological.

SUREK: UNLAWFUL, ILLEGAL

Lawyer Kamil Tekin Surek said that the ban had no legal support. Emphasizing that the public notice of the Ministry did not ban alcoholic beverage sale, Lawyer Surek said “They close the convenience stores for monopoly goods, and they prevent the sales in the markets with verbal statements, outside the law, in a kind of despotic manner, with the method of the mafia.”

Stressing that the implementation is against the priciple that Turkey is a state of law, Surek stated “Minister of Internal Affairs cannot ban it, it cannot be banned by a public notice. It should be done by legislation.”

Mentioning that there is a Public Health Law, Surek said “According to that law, the local governments can make decisions. Outside of this, Minister of Internal Affairs, Provential Governor, District Governor cannot declare a ban.”

Stating that there has been no issued ban but only a verbal statement, Surek said “In case they become subjected to closure or a fine for selling alcohol, both market and a workplace with a monopoly goods sales license have the right to a recourse. They can go to the courts and they should win the case.”

Assesing it as “In the time of our youth, beer used to be sold in cafes and stores,” Surek additionally emphasized that no citizen could be subjected to a fine for buying an alcoholic beverage.

Considering that “the decision is definitely ideological,” Surek said “They try to ban the alcoholic beverages both because of Ramadan and under the pandemic pretexts. Or they think of it as ‘having it consumed as less as possible, having them get sick and tired of it.’ There is here a revengeful approach.”

YOLERI: INTERFERING WITH BOTH BELIEF AND LIVING STYLE, INADMISSIBLE

Human Rights Association (IHD) Istanbul Branch Chair Gulseren Yoleri stressed that it was not possible to relate the ban to the pandemic.

Explaining that the restriction is not justifiable by the pandemic if considered together with it coinciding with the month of Ramadan and the decision about the closure of restaurants during Ramadan, Yoleri said “Such kind of restrictions directed towards people’s rights and freedoms are inadmissible.”

Stating that this meant to interfere with what people were to eat and drink, and when to eat and when not to eat, Yoleri continued as follows:

“This is a stand directed towards forcing people to fasting, if not fasting, to pretend to be as fasting, and adjust the economy to this. There is a situation here interfering with people’s belief and life styles. It means what we even consume at home will be interfered with. This is forcing a religous belief.  At the same time, it is against laicism that the state interferes with the beliefs in such manner.”

GURKAN: COMPLETELY IDEOLOGICAL

Party of Labour (EMEP) Deputy Chair Selma Gurkan also assessed it as “The Goverment of AKP, wanting to further the single man regime with a fascist regime, is trying to get the pandemic to support its oppression and bans.”

Stating that there has been many attempts of the government in the direction to restrict freedoms and to abolish the rights previously won, Gurkan brought forward the reminders “Strikes are banned, meetings, demonstrations and protests are banned... Using the freedom of expression, freedom of thinking, freedom of organizing are impossible... Opposition is under a blockade. Taking into consideration Apr 30 when May Day celebrations would be held, they also brought about a ban on May Day by pulling the complete lock down date to Apr 29.”

Emphasizing that, while stores and markets are open, keeping the dealerships for monopoly goods closed and banning the sale of alcoholic beverages are illogical and is completely related to the arbitrariness of the government, Gurkan said “This is an ideological decision implementation of the government trying to organize a social life fit for its reactionary and oppressing system.”

Pointing to the argument of “unfair competition,” Gurkan said “If they are not willing to have an unfair competition, they let the monopoly goods stores open and let the sale of alcoholic beverages be free so that they prevent the unfair competetition that they make the pretext of the ban.”

Gurkan stated “There is no interest to fight against the pandemic in  also the alcoholic beverage sale ban decisions of the  government justifying all sorts of reactionary politics with the absurdities such as traditions, national values, beliefs; this ban is completely ideological, it is a clear example of interference in life style.”