Cevdet Ertürkmen, appointed as trustee in place of Resul Emrah Şahan, the elected mayor of Şişli, dismissed nine employees, including urban planners, on November 14. It emerged that the workers had attended an information meeting held on November 9 against the Taşyapı residence project, which Şahan called “Şişli’s Canal Istanbul.” The workers staged a protest in front of the municipality building today; the protest was supported by the CHP, DEM Party, and DİSK, while riot police formed a shield in front of the municipality building. CHP Şişli District Chairman Canercan Kartal said the workers were dismissed for political reasons because they attended the anti-Taşyapı meeting, filed a lawsuit for unpaid wages, and were CHP members, describing it as a “political purge and intimidation operation.” DEM Party Istanbul Provincial Co-Chair Çınar Altan stated that the trustee system was creating a culture of submission through blacklisting. CHP Istanbul Provincial Chairman Özgür Çelik described the arrest of the elected mayor on March 19 and the appointment of a trustee as “political revenge”; he said that the trustee ended populist municipal administration, cut social support, and proceeded with political staffing with AKP figures. It was recalled that Şahan had previously halted the Taşyapı project and that the project had resumed during the trustee period following his arrest.
November 17, 2025
bianet