09.06.2026 19:30
Hakan Bahadır, Mayor of Bahçelievler, personally sealed a shop owned by a Syrian tradesman selling desserts unlicensed and in violation of hygiene rules during inspections in the district, reacting harshly by saying, 'Whatever I demand from a citizen of the Republic of Turkey, I will demand from you as well; you will comply with the rules of this country.'
Dr. Hakan Bahadır, the Mayor of Istanbul's Bahçelievler district known for frequently conducting inspections, personally ordered the sealing of a shop owned by a Syrian individual operating without a license and violating hygiene regulations. In the inspection that caused a huge stir on social media, Bahadır emphasized that no concessions would be made, saying, "You will comply with the rules of the Republic of Turkey."
"YOU ARE SEALING THIS PLACE IMMEDIATELY"
As part of the field inspections carried out across Bahçelievler, Mayor Hakan Bahadır, while examining the streets, stopped in front of a shop found to be non-compliant with the rules and gave a clear instruction to the teams with him: "You are sealing this place immediately."
Following the instruction, Mayor Bahadır entered the shop and inspected the open desserts on the counters and the shelves. Addressing the shop owner, he asked, "Peace be upon you... What are these? Dessert... But you are selling it open. Are you a dessert seller? Where are you from?" Upon receiving the answer "Syria" from the shop owner, Bahadır immediately demanded, "Show me the license," requesting the official documents.
THE ACCOUNTANT ALSO GOT A SHARE OF THE REACTION
When the shop owner said, "I came with the accountant," and could not present the license, Mayor Bahadır had the business's accountant called on the phone. Taking the phone, Hakan Bahadır listed the irregularities in the shop one by one to the accountant, using the following statements:
"I came to your taxpayer now, and I'm calling you from there. This place is very dirty, very messy, and has no license. You open these places and send them to the tax office. Why don't you send them to the municipality and tell them to get a license? We are closing it now, we will seal this place. As soon as I close these down, I will take action against you too. The man sells baklava in the open, sells this and that. Is that possible?"
"YOU WILL COMPLY WITH THE RULES OF THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY"
Ending the phone call, the Mayor of Bahçelievler stated that the rules are equal for everyone and that the laws must be strictly followed, giving warnings to the shop owner.
Emphasizing that no privileges would be granted, Bahadır used the following statements in his clear speech:
"You will comply with the rules. Citizen of the Republic of Turkey... What I demand from them, I will demand from you too; there is no such thing. We will close this place and seal it. You will comply with the rules of the Republic of Turkey, you see!"
Following Mayor Bahadır's stern warning, the shop, which had no license and did not meet hygiene conditions, was officially sealed and shut down by the municipal police teams.