The FINANCIAL — A group of cafe owners has applied to the parliamentary Human Rights Commission, demanding that a recently introduced smoking ban, prohibiting smoking in all indoor areas, including cafes, bars and restaurants, be lifted.
"While discussions over the new regulations, introduced on July 19, still continue in Turkey, the most recent attempt to challenge the ban comes from cafe owners, who fear it will ruin their businesses, which have already been hit hard by the economic crisis. A considerable part of society, however, has embraced the new ban, suggesting that the ban comes as a revolutionary step against smoking, which claims thousands of lives annually in Turkey, threatening public health. The commission sent the application, which underlines that the smoking ban in Europe is far more “flexible” than in Turkey, to the relevant ministries," Today's Zaman informs.
Protesting the ban, many bar and coffeehouse owners say the new regulation violates human rights and that the rules are too strict to follow. Resul Karataş, head of the Turkey Cafes, Coffeehouses and Bars Federation, said Saturday that their members are complaining that their business has contracted noticeably since the ban came into effect and were preparing to appeal to the Constitutional Court, demanding that the ban be annulled. “If it continues like this, we fear some 30,000 out of 100,000 current cafes and coffeehouses will have to shut their doors before the end of this year.” Karataş added many cafes had to dismiss employees over the past week.
Law No. 4207, on the Prevention of the Harmful Effects of Tobacco and Tobacco Products, requires that all restaurants, coffeehouses, cafeterias and bars have an appropriate outdoor area if they wish to allow smoking. The ban levies a TL 69 fine on those who smoke in a forbidden zone and a hefty fine of up to TL 5,600 for operators who allow it to happen.
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