Finland Times

File photo Lehtikuva

Turkey tightens the alcohol ban with the new regulation of the law through removing of all the outdoor advertisement of alcoholic beverages throughout the country as of June 12.

    

The time that has been giving to the owners of the cafes, bars, restaurants and shops, which have been selling alcohol, to remove all the outdoor signs, logos and advertisements of alcohol beverages will run out as of 24:00 on Thursday.

    

Indoor visuals will be removed upon the completion of the first year of the law in September 2014 and the logos of the alcohol beverages' brands on the inside refrigerators will be removed in two years and half after the day when the law takes into effect.

    

The sale of alcoholic beverages in the shops was banned between 22:00 and 06:00 according to the law passed on September 2013.

    

The shop and bar owners at the Istanbul's most tourist district of Beyoglu expressed their concerns over their economic losses to Xinhua. Most of them either experienced a drastic decrease in their sales or closed their shops.  

    

"The government has been forcing us to do another job," said the restaurant manager called Raif in Taksim. He declined to give his last name. "Today we have removed all the outdoor visuals and advertisements related with the alcoholic beverages. Now there is only the name of the restaurant," he explained and added "we appeal the government once again to reconsider the law."

    

Murat Akpinar, another shop owner told Xinhua that after the law came into force on September 2013, which banned the sales of alcohol after 10 p.m. his sales sharply decreased.

    

"I have experienced almost 60 percent economic loss after the ban," he added. Soon after he gave up to sell alcohol cancelling his licence.  "Now I am selling some cosmetic products and no one buys," he said.

    

"This is a tourist area. Tourists have been buying alcohol mostly after 22:00. After the ban our sales hit the bottom," Akpinar added.  

    

Another owner of a shop in the same area, Ekrem Unlu told Xinhua that they are still trying to survive but they have no idea what would it be after the new regulations. "But we can say for sure that nothing good will come out of it," he expressed his pessimism about his sales.

    

Those who do not obey the law will pay fine ranging from 2,300 to 95,000 dollars, according to the law.

    

The law foresees from 14,300 to 69,600 dollars of fine for the shops, which sells alcoholic beverages between 22:00-06:00.

    

Turkey is a secular state with no official state religion. The Turkish constitution provides for freedom of religion and conscience. Islam is the dominant religion of Turkey with 99.8 percent of the population being registered as Muslim.