A violent standoff between Istanbul’s opposition-run municipality and the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — which erupted today over property on Buyukada, the largest of the Princes’ Islands off the coast of Istanbul — has deepened concerns over growing authoritarianism and the rule of law.
The row is centered on a space above Buyukada’s historic ferry dock that was leased for a symbolic monthly rate of 2,500 Turkish liras (about $280) by the Istanbul municipality — when it was still controlled by Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) — to an Islamist outfit called the Turkish Youth Foundation, or TUGVA, founded by Erdogan’s younger son, Bilal. TUGVA used the facility, which is normally reserved for ferry passengers, as a cafeteria.
