Roma Evicted from Historic Settlement in Istanbul
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November 10, 2011 TheFreshOutlook  |
Homes built where Turkish Roma lived for over a millennium are selling for far more money than the Roma received.
In 2005, the Turkish AKP authorities decided that the Roma settlement in Sulukule should be torn down and replaced by new buildings.
Sulukule is located in Faith, a south-eastern district of Istanbul. It is also one of the oldest permanent Roma settlements in the world.
The Roma were evicted from their homes. Authorities then forced them to sell their homes to developers for 500 Turkish liras (£176).
The authorities claim that this was done as part of an “urban regeneration” scheme. The purpose of the scheme was to expropriate properties in order to modernise the city and make the city safer in the instance of an earthquake.
There were worldwide protests and court cases against the evictions and redevelopment.
In Istanbul, between 20 and 30% of properties are rented. The percentage of rental properties in Sulukule is much higher as 50% of homes are rented.
640 brand new “Ottoman style” town houses and offices are currently being constructed across 22 acres. The prices of these are being advertised as from between 3,500TL (£1,232) to 4,500TL (£1,584). This is 10 times the amount that the former Roma residents sold their properties to private investors and the Faith muncipality for.
The Turkish government has been accused of evicting the Roma in the interest of town planning.
According to an Amnesty International report from July 2011, some of the methods used by the Turkish government to evict residents are “heavy-handed”. The report mentions residents being made to sign contracts without reading them, threats that a failure to sign would result in an immediate eviction, harassment from officials and inappropriate alternative housing being offered. Most evictees are not consulted beforehand or assisted with legal aid.
Although the Turkish government did relocate the citizens of Sulukule to the village of Tasogluk, located in the Afyonkarahisar Provence of Turkey, Tasogluk failed to offer the Roma much in the way of job opportunities. The Roma had to travel to Istanbul and back in order to work. This proved to be too costly for many. Former residents are now returning to Sulukule because they can not afford the rent and bills.
One such resident is Sami Zogun, who has lived in Sulukule for over 40 years. Mr Zogun’s son had to pay for the move by selling his own house. Mr Zogun’s reason for returning to Istanbul was because he could not afford the 550TL (£193) rent.
He says: “If I would have owned that house, I would not have sold them a single needle in it. To me, our little wooden house was paradise. The new TOKI houses feel like a golden cage. There is no life there; nothing to do.”
According to Mucella Yapici from the Istanbul chamber of architects, the evictions have increased the number of people sleeping on the streets. She says: “Homelessness never used to be a serious issue in Istanbul. But the demolitions and evictions led to a dramatic increase of people with nowhere to go. They are not safer, but more vulnerable in the case of a natural disaster.”
By Louisa Guise
[Image Courtesy of sulukulecocukatolyesi]
