Court Halts Controversial Taksim Square Project

"An Istanbul court on Wednesday halted a government-backed plan to rebuild Taksim Square, a development project that incited nearly a month of huge antigovernment protests in June," reports Sebnem Arsu.

"The court ruled against the Taksim project on June 6, even as widespread protests gathered steam. But a public announcement of the decision was delayed until this week, when the legal reasoning behind the ruling was completed, [Can Atalay, a lawyer who represented the plaintiffs in the case] said."

"The court determined that the development plan lacked the required input from residents in the area, committees that protect natural and cultural assets, and the district’s authorities, among other concerns, the newspaper Hurriyet reported."