Gezi Park/Taksim Square Istanbul

A statement by Dan Magraw of the Center for International Environmental Law describing the 2013 protests at Gezi Park and Taksim Square in Istanbul, which began as a response to government plans to replace the park with a shopping mall and evolved into a broader movement against human rights abuses and the abuse of power.

• The protests at Gezi Park were triggered by the Turkish government's plan to destroy the park—described as the only green area in central Istanbul—to build a shopping mall designed as a re-creation of Ottoman army barracks.
• Demonstrators established five core demands: the preservation of Gezi Park, the resignation of those responsible for police violence, the cessation of tear gas use, the release of detainees, and respect for the human right to assemble.
• The government response involved significant violence and legal pressure, including the use of water cannons and tear gas, the arrest of lawyers and physicians providing emergency care, and the deployment of infiltrators posing as doctors.
• The author notes a lack of coverage by mainstream Turkish media aligned with the AKP party, contrasting it with reporting by independent outlets like Acik Radyo and bianet.org.
• Beyond Gezi Park, the author cites other environmental and social concerns under Prime Minister Erdogan, including a Bosphorus bridge project destroying forests, a mosque project destroying a hilltop park on the Asian side, and policies regarding pregnancy reporting and female child-bearing.

APA

Magraw, D. (2013). Gezi Park/Taksim Square Istanbul. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/gezi-parktaksim-square-istanbul/

Chicago

Magraw, Dan. Gezi Park/Taksim Square Istanbul. Center for International Environmental Law, 2013. https://www.ciel.org/gezi-parktaksim-square-istanbul/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Magraw |first1=Dan |title=Gezi Park/Taksim Square Istanbul |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=17 June 2013 |url=https://www.ciel.org/gezi-parktaksim-square-istanbul/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{magraw2013gezi, author = {Magraw, Dan}, title = {{Gezi Park/Taksim Square Istanbul}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2013}, month = jun, url = {https://www.ciel.org/gezi-parktaksim-square-istanbul/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }