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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ISTANBUL 000184 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OSCE PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: ROMA NEARLY CLEARED OUT OF SULUKULE 
 
REF: A. 08 ISTANBUL 435 
     ¶B. 08 ANKARA 1643 
 
ISTANBUL 00000184  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
 ¶1. (SBU)SUMMARY: Only about 10-15 houses remain in Sulukule, 
the primarily Roma community in the Istanbul district of 
Fatih.  For over two years, houses in Sulukule have been 
demolished to make way for a redevelopment project that 
aims to replace the substandard housing with modern upscale 
townhouses to meet Istanbul,s growing demand. The 
Municipality provided subsidized housing to the displaced 
families, yet nearly all of them sold their stake in the 
new development and returned to the area. Critics called 
the project a human rights violation against the Roma. 
However, market forces appear to be a prime culprit as demand 
for housing in Istanbul far outstrips available supply in 
centrally located areas such as Sulukule.  END SUMMARY 
 
¶2. (U) The Municipality of Fatih has nearly completed its 
demolition of the primarily Roma neighborhood of Sulukule. 
According to Hacer Foggo, from the Sulukule Platform -- a 
neighborhood and Roma advocacy group -- only about 10-15 
houses remain from only 600 homes just two years ago.  The 
latest wave of demolitions, which occurred between May 13 - 
14, forced nearly 20 families from their home to the 
streets.  Foggo said the Sulukule Platform provided tents 
to eight of these families for temporary housing.  The 
Municipality aims to replace the substandard housing with 
high-end faux Ottoman townhomes; far out of the price range 
of the original residents (reftel A).  Critics say this 
redevelopment will sever the ties the Roma had with 
Sulukule.  Some historians state the Roma,s connection to 
Sulukule goes back nearly one thousand years, well before 
the fall of Constantinople.  Sukru Punduk, the head of the 
Sulukule Platform accused the Municipality of conducting 
human rights violations by targeting the Roma community 
under the guise of redevelopment. 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  Mustafa Demir, the Mayor of Fatih, told us the 
Municipality provided generous subsidies to the residents 
of Sulukule (reftel A).  Qualifying families were given 
preferential rates in government housing in the newly 
developed suburb of Tasoluk, 40 kilometers away.  Over 400 
families qualified for the reduced rent; however most of 
them quickly sold their housing rights, according to 
Foggo.  Even with the housing discount, most people would 
not be able to afford monthly payments, choosing instead to 
sell their interest for about 5,000 USD.  Generally, these 
families returned to neighborhoods surrounding Sulukule; 
either opting to rent cheap housing similar to what they 
had in Sululkule or they moved in with relatives.  Members 
of the Sulukule Platform welcomed the Municipality,s goal 
to provide upgraded housing to the residents, yet the 
standard high rise apartment living clashed with the Roma 
culture.  Residents of Sulukule told us they make bad 
neighbors in a high rise building since &we stay up late, 
play music, drink, and dance8.  Low rise homes with yards 
for gardens, livestock, and communal space are more 
appropriate for the Roma lifestyle, they argued. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) There are also accusations that the Municipality 
manipulated the process to benefit those who are close to 
the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). According 
to Punduk and press reporting, many AKP officials acquired 
parcels from the original owners under the threat of 
expropriation.  Allegedly, these new property owners 
include Ismet Buyukkilic, under investigation in Germany 
for illegal use of donated funds in the Lighthouse Scandal 
(reftel B).  Other people who allegedly benefited from this 
process are: the son of an AKP deputy from Kayseri, the AKP 
deputy mayor from the Istanbul district of Gungoren, and a 
former AKP party leader of Fatih. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) COMMENT: The Roma are being squeezed out of 
Sulukule, but market forces appear to be the prime culprit 
as the insatiable demand for real estate grows.  The Roma,s 
lack of political clout make them an easy target, but it is 
not uncommon in any city for low income residents to be 
pushed out due to gentrification.  The Municipality did 
provide additional financial assistance for the relocation 
of the residents of Sulukule; above the normal aid provided 
to low-income Turks moving into subsidized housing. 
However, the Municipality took a patronizing approach to 
the Roma, failing to consider the unique desires of the 
 
ISTANBUL 00000184  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
community.  The abrupt transition to a bedroom community, 
far away from known sources of income and generally 
incompatible to their existing lifestyle was doomed to 
fail.  Predictably, many Roma cashed in their subsidies and 
returned to the area, thus creating a greater strain on the 
existing poor housing stock.  The entire area has 
experienced massive jumps in property values and it is only 
a matter of time until market pressures will again push the 
Roma out of historic Fatih, regardless of the fact that the 
Roma are part of that history. 
 
OUDKIRK