Turkish Court Blocks Park Project
Development triggered anti-government protests
A Turkish court has cancelled a project to redevelop Istanbul's central Taksim square, a copy of the court's decision showed, ruling in a dispute that triggered a nationwide wave of violent anti-government protests.
The administrative court ruled in early June, at the height of the unrest, that a master plan to reshape the square violated preservation rules, the square's identity and other regulations, according to a lawyer for the plaintiffs.
The decision may jeopardise what many saw as Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's personal quest to remake Taksim Square in the teeth of opposition that led to mass protests over his perceived authoritarian style of rule.
