'Red Crescent sells not only tents but also food to charity'

Haluk Levent (second from left) in a tent city with rescue workers. (Photo: Haluk Levent/Twitter)

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The Red Crescent sold not only tents but also food to a charity, the group's leader said today (February 27).

Haluk Levent, a renowned rock singer who leads the AHBAP association, responded to criticism after it was revealed that the Red Crescent had sold tents to the group, during a live interview on Fox TV.

The country's disaster management agency also pays the Red Crescent for tents, Levent noted. "The system should change. I'm not comfortable with it ... The Red Crescent shouldn't sell tents at a time of an earthquake."

In return, the program host asked whether the AHBAP had bought food from the Red Crescent as well.

"We bought canned food from the Red Crescent. We bought red beans and kidney beans," Levent answered.

On Saturday, a journalist revealed that the Red Crescent had sold tents to the AHBAP. Both parties later confirmed the sale, saying that it was in line with laws.

CLICK - Revealed: Türkiye's Red Crescent sold tents to singer's charity

The revelation caused public criticism, with people questioning whether the Red Crescent should sell aid materials. An opposition MP submitted a parliamentary question, accusing the government of turning the agency into a "business."

The Red Crescent said it had charged the association only the cost of the raw materials in order to be able to continue manufacturing tents.

The association paid 46 million lira (2.4 million US dollars) for 2,050 tents, or about 22.400 lira for each tent.

Yesterday, the Turkish Pharmacists' Association (TEB) also announced that it had paid the red crescent for tents.

A popular charity group, the AHBAP spearheaded the civil society efforts following the massive earthquakes.

On February 6, two earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.7 and 7.6 struck the southern city of Maraş. The first quake in the Pazarcık district at 4.17 a.m. was followed by the second one in Elbistan about nine hours later.

The quakes affected 11 cities in Türkiye's south and southeast, as well as Syria's northern parts.

The official death toll from the quakes stands at over 44,000 and is expected to increase further, as over 160,000 buildings were destroyed or severely damaged, according to government figures.

Nearly two million people have been displaced due to the earthquakes. (AÖ/VK)