The "Azmanbus" controversy continues in the Islands! A criminal complaint has been filed against İmamoğlu and İETT General Manager Demet.

A group of island residents filed a criminal complaint against Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and IETT General Manager İrfan Demet, stating that they are against the electric minibus called "Azmanbüs" that was put into service in the Islands.

"THEY ARE PERFORMING ACTIONS THAT ARE NOT PERMITTED BY THE LAW"

In the criminal complaint petition, it was stated that motor vehicles were brought into the protected area without legal basis, where the entire Islands were declared as a Special Environmental Protection Zone by the Presidential Decree dated 2021, and transportation was carried out with vehicles without traffic registration and insurance, endangering passenger safety. It was also mentioned that İmamoğlu stated in his statement to the press on June 24 that service started to be provided in the Islands with vehicles providing L-type service with temporary permission, and he admitted that İmamoğlu ignored the safety of passengers and performed actions that are not permitted by the law.

REQUEST FOR FILING LAWSUITS FOR 4 SEPARATE CRIMES

In the petition, it was also requested that a lawsuit be filed for the crimes of "negligence in performing duties", "abuse of duty", "violation of the Law on Protection of Cultural and Natural Assets", and "violation of the Coastal Law", as it was stated that there is no need for public transportation in the Islands, but this practice is being imposed and millions of liras are wasted, bus platforms were built on the coasts of Heybeliada and Burgazada by IETT, and these areas were closed to the public without legal basis by fencing them with wire and fences, and these areas were not allocated to Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and there is no coastal zoning plan for the Islands.

"THE ISLANDS LOST THIS FEATURE SINCE 2020"

Dolunay Baykul, one of the island residents who made a statement in the square of Istanbul Justice Palace in Çağlayan regarding the issue, said, "What distinguishes the Islands of Istanbul from protected areas in other parts of the world is that it is completely closed to motor vehicle traffic. One of the reasons for declaring the Islands district as a comprehensive SIT area is that the Islands are an area where motorized land vehicles are not used and transportation is only made with horse-drawn vehicles. Thanks to this feature of the Istanbul Islands, Turkey is one of the 24 countries in the world that has islands closed to motor vehicle traffic, or rather it was. Since 2020, the Islands have lost this feature."

"THE ISLANDS ARE A PROTECTED AREA, NOT A PROFIT AREA"

Baykul stated that despite the objections of the island residents, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality brought unregistered and unlicensed minibuses to the Islands in 2020 under the pretext of public transportation, and said, "Licensed minibuses, which the islanders have called 'azmanbüs' since June 15, 2024, have been added to these. The minibuses, which are claimed to transport citizens to school and hospital, do this at exorbitant prices. For tourist demands, the historical, cultural, and natural texture of the Islands are being destroyed, and Turkey is sacrificing its only motorless area. While the global ecological crisis we are facing has made the importance of motorless areas understood by the whole world and municipalities in many parts of the world are trying to increase these areas, Turkey is losing its motorless islands thanks to the anti-democratic practices of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. The Islands are not an investment, profit, or business area, but a protected area," she said.