Shop Owners That Sell Alcohol Threatened, Beaten In Ankara

Mainstream Turkish daily Vatan reported that shops that sell alcoholic drinks in Kecioren district of Ankara are under strict surveillance by the police that threaten the owners and has beaten one of them for not closing his store at the set time.

A billboard at the entrance to Kecioren that bears the name of the local mayor Turgut Altinok of AKP, quotes messages of unity by Sufi sages Haci Bektash Veli and Yunus Emre which is topped by Prophet Mohammed’s words that reads: “[Alcoholic] Drinking Is The Mother Of All Evils”.

Vatan reported that finding a restaurant in Kecioren that sells alcoholic beverages is "harder than finding water in a desert". Major supermarket chains that do sell alcoholic beverages do not carry them in their stores in Kecioren.

Shop owners that spoke to Vatan on condition of anonymity said that police frequently visit their stores, fine them if they delay the closing of the store for one minute beyond the set limit of 11:00 PM and threaten the owners that their stores would permanently be closed if such delays occur again. Metin Sahin, a shop owner was severely beaten by the police for such delay, Sahin’s mother told the reporter.

Kecioren is where Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan resides.

Source: Vatan, Turkey, August 21, 2008

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