Fine for Ankara Metropolitan Municipality: It will pay 141 thousand 934 TL

The Human Rights and Equality Institution of Turkey (TİHEK) ruled that the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality (ABB) violated the prohibition of discrimination based on disability in an application filed by a visually impaired citizen, and imposed an administrative fine of 141 thousand 934 Turkish Lira on the municipality at the upper limit.

N.K., who is 90 percent visually impaired, applied to TİHEK, stating that they experienced grievances because the audio announcement system, which provides information on which stop has been reached and what the next stop will be, was not working on buses belonging to the ABB and private public buses licensed by the municipality.

Stating that many individuals and non-governmental organizations had previously applied to the municipality regarding this issue, N.K. noted that although the municipality had notified them that the problem would be resolved, the grievance had not been addressed.

Concluding the application, TİHEK ruled that the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality violated the prohibition of discrimination based on disability and imposed an administrative fine of 141 thousand 934 Turkish Lira on the municipality at the upper limit.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT VEHICLES MUST BE ACCESSIBLE

In the decision, which stated that it was understood that the municipality did not fulfill its positive obligation regarding the provision of accessibility, the following statements were included:

"The failure of the audio announcement systems in buses makes it quite difficult for visually impaired individuals to access transportation services and puts visually impaired individuals at a disadvantage. The denial of access to the physical environment, transportation, information and communication, and services open to the public constitutes a violation of the prohibition of discrimination based on disability, which is prohibited by Article 5 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It is evaluated that the respondent municipality has not fulfilled its obligation to make buses suitable for the accessibility of disabled people. It has been concluded that the respondent ABB has violated the prohibition of discrimination based on disability."

News Source: 12punto