22,810 people fined for violating pandemic curfew

* Photo: Elif Öztürk - İstanbul / AA

Click to read the article in Turkish/ Kurdish

The Ministry of Interior has announced that an administrative and/or legal action was taken against 22 thousand 810 people for failing to comply with the COVID-19 curfew from March 15 to March 22.

CLICK - 'Turkey rapidly approaching third peak of first wave'

While the weekday curfew is in effect from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. everyday across the country, the weekend curfew is in effect in provinces in the low and medium risk group from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. and in the provinces in the high and very high risk group from 9 p.m. on Friday to 5 a.m. on Saturday and from 9 p.m. on Saturday to to 5 a.m. on Monday.

According to the current map of the Ministry of Health, the provinces are divided into four risk groups, from blue (low risk) to red (high risk):

Courts, legists say that it is unlawful

On the other side, lawyers have long been emphasizing that the fines imposed for failing to comply with the curfews or mask rules are not lawful and different courts in Ankara, Adana and Bolu provinces have cancelled the fines, which also confirms the comments of lawyers.

CLICK - 'Police don't have the authority to "fine citizens on the street"'

İstanbul Branch Chair of the Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD) Gökmen Yeşil previously spoke to bianet about the issue and underlined that the administrative bodies, i.e. police officers and governor's offices, did not have the authority to impose such fines on people.

In treating the ones violating the curfews and mask obligations amid the pandemic, a fine of 3,180 lira (approx. 425 USD) is imposed on citizens as per the Article 282 of the Law no. 1593 on Public Health. Accordingly, Yeşil also questioned the reason why the fine is imposed on the upper limit (3,180 lira) while the lower limit as per the Tax Procedure Law is 789 lira. (AS/SD)