Istanbul Community Center Faces Closure After Legal Onslaught

A court case to shut down a prominent Istanbul community center has been delayed. The Tarlabaşı Community Center (TTM) serves a vulnerable neighborhood in the city. But a lawsuit to dissolve it, first filed in February 2022, remains unresolved. Authorities have not moved to finalize the closure. However, the center's work has already been severely disrupted. Since June 2021, it has faced a public smear campaign and multiple legal challenges. Most critically, its main office was officially sealed by court order. This has effectively halted the center's community programs. The legal actions, combined with the sealed premises, have made continuing normal operations impossible. The closure case cites an ongoing criminal prosecution against the center's managers as its reason. That separate criminal case is still pending.