As rescue operations persist with dwindling hope in the aftermath of Turkey’s most severe ecological disaster, a catastrophic landslide that trapped nine workers underground at the gold mine on Tuesday, the documentary-style TV mini-series “Eko Eko Eko” has taken centre stage in national discussions for its eerily accurate prophecy, which had been disregarded by the authorities.
“Eko Eko Eko”, released in 2023 and aired on BluTV in 2024, has garnered significant attention for its prophetic insight into what has become Turkey’s most severe ecological disaster. The series poignantly outlined the risks posed by the mine’s location next to the Euphrates River and on an active seismic fault line, yet these warnings went unheeded.
While “Eko Eko Eko” illuminates the Çöpler gold mine’s significant environmental threat and symbolises the broader systemic failure to protect workers and the environment, Başaran Aksu from the Independent Miners Union voiced his criticism of the systemic issues plaguing Turkey’s labour and industrial sectors, notably mining, in a televised debate on the disaster. “These conglomerates, these global monopolies have turned this country’s workers and labourers into slaves,” Aksu declared, highlighting the indifference and exploitation rampant within the sector. Aksu recalled how a representative from the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) warned in a court hearing, “This site is fraught with danger”, only to be disregarded as the court found “nothing to investigate”.
The Justice and Development Party (AKP) government’s moves for more than a decade to limit the powers of the TMMOB, a crucial body representing around 400,000 professionals, marked a significant step in the party’s broader efforts to deregulate sectors critical to environmental and worker safety. This action, particularly stripping the TMMOB of its authority to grant final approvals on urban planning projects, not only diminished its financial resources but also its capacity to influence and oversee projects with potentially significant environmental and worker safety implications. Critics have considered this as a clear sign of the government’s intent to further deregulate the sector and evade public scrutiny, by curbing the influence of the country’s only expert professional organisation equipped to assess the impact of such businesses on environmental and worker safety standards.
Local environmental activists featured in the series also emphasised the potential ecological disaster’s impact on Turkey’s agricultural sector and the Euphrates River.
The series critically examined the Turkish government’s deregulatory policies under the AKP, which prioritised foreign investment over environmental protection and public welfare.
This narrative, underscoring the government’s disregard for expert warnings and the repercussions of its policies, likely struck a chord with viewers, as clips from the series are now circulating widely on social media. The arrest of local activist Sedat Cezayirlioğlu, who passionately warned of the impending disaster in the mini-series, rather than holding those accountable who facilitated the catastrophe through deregulation and negligence, may have contributed to the series’ viral reception.
However, despite these clear forewarnings, Turkish authorities continued to relax regulations, leading to the tragic landslide on 13 February 2024. The subsequent establishment of a research commission, an unprecedented move typically thwarted by majority government rejections in similar circumstances, and the detention of four site executives were seen as too little, too late.
