The Turkish Red Crescent said that its president, Karim Kenik, submitted his resignation on Friday, after three months of controversy over the sale of tents to a charity in the first days after the devastating earthquake in Turkey.
A 7.8-magnitude earthquake shook a vast area in southern Turkey in February, killing more than 54,000 people in Turkey and Syria.
Residents of the area complained about the slow response of the authorities in the first days after the disaster, which sparked criticism of the government.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday that he was “sad” for the tents to be sold by the Red Crescent.
-“The Red Crescent cannot sell tents. This mistake should be corrected immediately,” Erdogan added during an earlier recorded meeting with a group of young people, but it was broadcast on Thursday.
-Knik said at first that he was aware of the sale of the tents and described this step as legal, adding that it was an entity affiliated with the Turkish Red Crescent that sold the tents. But he later denied knowledge of the sale and said he would have prevented it if he had known about it in advance.
The Turkish Red Crescent said in a statement today, Friday, that it will hold an emergency meeting after the resignation of its president.
A state of public controversy arose after it was revealed that the Red Crescent sold the tents to the “Ahbab” charity in the first days after the earthquake, instead of sending them directly to the disaster area.
