For years, lawmakers in Turkey have tried to legally restrict the sale of alcohol under a variety of excuses, including the COVID-19 pandemic. These efforts include higher taxes, banning advertising, and making it increasingly difficult to get a liquor license. To track and call public attention to these efforts, Freedom Research Association created the Turkish Alcohol Public Policy Watch. The organization is very proud of what they’ve accomplished in educating the public on the actions of lawmakers, and now they’re ready to take the project to the next level. İsrafil Özkan, secretary general of Freedom Research Association, pitched his plan to educate people in Turkey on their right to consume alcohol and the responsibilities that accompany that right—including the responsibility to defend it. Judges agreed, and chose him as the winner of the 2022 Europe Think Tank Shark Tank at Europe Liberty Forum 2022 in Warsaw, Poland.
