Ownership of Istanbul’s Gezi Park transferred to foundation

Turkey has transferred ownership of Istanbul's Gezi Park, the focus of anti-government protests in 2013, from municipal to national ownership, drawing criticism from local authorities who said they would challenge the decision.

The decision to transfer the park's ownership from the Istanbul Municipality to the "Sultan Beyazıt Hanı Veli Hazretleri Foundation" was taken by the Directorate General of Foundations operating under the jurisdiction of the Culture and Tourism Ministry.

The transfer was based on Article 30 of the Foundations Law, which says foundation assets that have become the property of the Treasury, municipalities, special administrations, or village legal entities will be handed over to registered foundations.

The Istanbul Municipality has criticized the government's decision to take away the property of Gezi Park from it.

The municipality noted that it was about to start the new Taksim Square project to make the square a green area again, and the latest decision was intended to prevent the project.

The new design of Taksim Square was chosen with the votes of Istanbul residents in November 2020.

The municipality plans to launch a legal process against the decision, it added in the statement.