Ten tobacco producers remanded in custody for protesting new regulations

Photo: Gerger Fırat

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

Ten tobacco producers in Adıyaman, southeastern Turkey, have been remanded in custody over the protests against new legislation that prohibit the sale of tobacco products without a "certificate of authorization."

After a week of protests against the legislation, about 50 people were detained on July 9.

Ten of the detained people were remanded in custody today (July 12) for breaching the law on demonstrations and gatherings and instigating a crime, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Adıyaman MP Abdurrahman Tutdere said on Twitter.

"Rewards for foreign farmers and imprisonment for domestic farmers. Is this your justice?" he wrote.

Later holding a press conference at the parliament, Tutdere said "Those farmers took to the streets to protest their bread being taken away from them. What has been done is not legal because an arrest is not legal for the alleged offense."

What happened?

Law no. 5607 on Fight Against Smuggling has been amended and tobacco producers have been banned from producing tobacco without getting a certificate of authorization and making a notice as of July 1.

The amended law has stipulated that all producers and sellers of tobacco must receive a certificate of authorization from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The law also foresees a prison sentence of 3 years to 6 years in the event of tobacco trade without a certificate.

After the law was amended and entered into force, tobacco producers and sellers started protesting. Trying to make their voices heard for a week now, they want the law to be withdrawn. (HA/VK)