From the Istanbul Governorship :
Security Communiqué
(1999/1)

After the seizure of terrorist leader Öcalan, it has been seen that there has been significant increase in divisive terrorist activities guided from abroad and it has changed nature, and attacks are being made with petrol bomb, bomb and guns towards innocent and defenseless citizens or their houses, workplaces, vehicles and economic and social facilities.

Our security forces are ensuring the life and property safety / security of our citizens with great effort and devotion, by staying bound with the jurisprudence state principles respecting human rights, against these acts known to have the purpose of disintegrating the Homeland and Nation integrity. However, at a megapol like Istanbul, located on a very wide area, bearing the troubles of flawed structuring and settlement  due to internal migration and with a significant population increase, the inadequacy caused by the fact that the security forces cannot be ready at every point at anytime, creates suitable grounds for the terrorist activities that result in life and property loss.

Therefore, for the institutions that cannot use the opportunity provided by the law no. 2495, an obligation emerged to take certain additional security measures and give the instruction to those institutions to Make some sacrifices to help the security forces. Thereby, it is aimed to increase the security of the places that can become a target to terrorist attacks also with the contributions of our community.

Due to the above-listed reasons, the following precautions have been taken as per article 11/c of the Provincial administration law no. 5442 with the aim of ensuring personal immunity, public health and to prevent crime commitment.

Article 1- For the following places that are in a relation with the public for social, economic, sportive and similar reasons:

- Shopping malls,
- Big stores,
- Accommodation facilities like hotel, motel, etc.,
- Factories and big-scale production facilities,
- Foreign exchange offices,
- Open and closed parking lots,
- Auto galleries and plazas,
- Petroleum stations,
- Bottled gas depots and vendors,
- Cinema and theater halls,
- Wedding halls and similar places,
- Public eating-drinking and entertainment places like coffee shops, bar, cafe, disco, restaurant, etc.,
- Office blocks and arcades,
- Underground and over-ground bazaars,
- Residential sites and industrial sites,
- Bus terminals and garages,
- Stadiums, closed sports halls, swimming pools and similar places where contests are held with audience,
- Political party offices and clubhouses.

Their owners or operators or managers or the chairman of the board of directors at judicial entities or the most authorized official at that place shall be commissioned and responsible to ensure the following:

a- Necessary measures shall be taken against fire at the above-indicated locations, fire stairs shall be built to the above-ground levels at multiple-storey buildings, fire exits shall be marked, multiple exit doors shall be established, fire extinguishers shall be provided and kept in an operative status. These measures shall be taken immediately and converted into permanent within one month.
The authorities authorized to grant building license or utilization permit or activity permit, shall not grant the related permits unless these issues are not complied with.

b- They shall allocate and commission personnel or employ new personnel for to conduct entrance-exit controls at the above-mentioned places, make environmental surveillance, make contact and cooperation with the security forces as necessary and to make the first intervention and necessary announcements quickly in case of a sabotage or fire.
The ones that do not have this opportunity among the places indicated above, can apply to the district governor’s office, get the necessary permit and benefit from the voluntary staff to perform this job.
The identity information of the commissioned personnel shall be forwarded to the district governor’s office in writing.
Depending on the property of the above indicated places, the mentioned personnel or staff shall work on a 24-hour basis or as long as the place stays open and shall be at the quantity necessary to realize the purpose.
The instructions and recommendations of the security forces in this regard shall be paid due care.

c- It shall be ensured by the District governor’s Office that the groups composed by the unorganized workplaces such as the ones under the bridges, underpass, etc. take the measures parallel to the above jointly in an organized manner.

d- At the places indicated above, additional measures shall be taken against fire and sabotage such as using door type detectors, enclosing with enclosure walls or barbed wire, making environmental illumination, commissioning guards by building watchman cabins, providing control with camera, etc., as much as the opportunities of the facilities permit and as to meet the purpose.
The entrance security shall be reinforced within 3 months by placing door type detectors at all doors of the entertainment places like cinema and sportive facilities like stadium where you enter with a ticket.

Article 2- The most senior manager of the institution shall be commissioned and responsible from ensuring the entrance, exit, passenger, terminal and luggage security at mass transport vehicles such as train, steamer, intercity buses, service vehicles, subway, etc. and to keep fire extinguisher tools and instruments in these vehicles for fire and sabotage and to plan, take and suitable announce publicly the measures for fast evacuation of the people.

Article 3- In the mosques, every kind of measure parallel with the measures taken against fire and sabotage as indicated above and commissioning shall be made for this purpose. These matters shall be fulfilled by the mosque officials under the coordination and surveillance of the Provincial Mufti’s Office.
Regarding the other religious service locations, the District governor’s Offices shall ensure that the necessary measures are taken and audit these measures.

Article 4- The above-indicated matters shall be audited by the committees to be comprised from the related institution’s personnel under the duty and responsibility of the District governor’s Office. The deficiencies and flaws detected during the audit shall be made corrected / completed.

Article 5- Regarding the responsible acting against the measures indicated at the 4th article above shall be entrusted to the Prime Ministry in order for the application of punitive action as per article 526 of the Turkish Criminal Code.

Article 6- This communiqué becomes effective on the day it is published at the Official Gazette. The publication at the Official Gazette shall be deemed as a communication to all the related parties and all the persons and institutions within the borders of Istanbul province.

Article 7- This decision is governed by Istanbul Governor.

Erol Çakır
Istanbul Governor
NOTE: THE SECURITY COMMUNIQUÉ HAS BEEN ENACTED BY BEING PUBLISHED AT THE 16 MARCH 1999 DATED AND 23641 NUMBERED OFFICIAL GAZETTE.