Medya News
Daily Review
Breaking News
Subscribe
  • Home
  • All News
  • Opinion
  • Kurdistan
  • Women
  • Politics
  • Human Rights
  • More
    • Audio Articles
    • Economy
    • Culture & Art
    • Ecology
    • Newsletter
    • Daily Review
Youtube
PODCAST
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • All News
  • Opinion
  • Kurdistan
  • Women
  • Politics
  • Human Rights
  • More
    • Audio Articles
    • Economy
    • Culture & Art
    • Ecology
    • Newsletter
    • Daily Review
Youtube
PODCAST
No Result
View All Result
Medya News

Villagers from Rize in Turkey resist massive quarry project that threatens the environment

Villagers from the Ikizdere district of Rize in the Black Sea region of Turkey have been resisting a quarry project which is proceeding in their area. They have described their protest as one in which they are protecting the forest from the state.

12:11 pm 28/04/2021
A A
Share post

The villagers have been resisting the stone quarry project for a week. Cengiz Construction -one of the biggest construction companies in the country with known close ties with the ruling Justice and Development Party  AKP government- is reportedly behind the project that is proceeding in the region.

The valley where the quarrying is to take place is a ‘nature site and a protected area’, reportedly one of the 200 priority areas to be protected in the world. However, the project commenced on 21 April after a presidential decree for urgent expropriation in the İşkencedere Valley area was issued. Approximately 16 million tons of stones are planned to be dug and purchased from the region. The villager’s vigil against this project has been continuing for a week despite the obstructive actions and continuous attacks by the gendarmerie.

Pervin Baş is one of the villagers who has been participating in the vigil. “I have to protest against it since I cannot cook anything for my children if this construction proceeds”, she told MA, summarising her reasons for her protest. “We do not have access to fresh water since all our water supply has stopped since they started construction”.

Baş continued: “We are in Ramadan (the holy month of fasting for the Islamic Calendar). This is the month of solidarity but we have been suffering too much: there are 15 people in my family and what are we going to do without water? We cannot breed or tend our animals either like this. What will we do? They were not letting us even cut one tree, but now they have destroyed and are destroying the whole forest”.

Emine Tursun is another villager who is participating in the vigil. Since the gendarmerie has placed barricades on the normal roads they use, she had to take a long hard road through the mountains to arrive at the region where the project is to be built.

“Animals cannot pass the ways that we passed to arrive here to protect our nature from them. We do not want them to destroy our nature”, Tursun said. “Our bees, our tea trees, our everything is here. Let them see our nature. If this place is worthy of a quarry, let them do it. But they shouldn’t send us away from our village. Even if they give us villas, we want our village, not anything else”.

Tursun’s home was also damaged due to the dynamite explosions taking place during the tunneling and building construction taking place for the project. “Those explosions are contributing to so much damage to our the village. Our water supply all comes from the affected region: what will happen to it after the explosions?”, she asked.

Fatma Baş thinks that their villages were taken from them and given to Cengiz Construction, a massive construction company, which has been the target of several local environmental protests in Turkey due to their reportedly scandalous projects. Baş said: “We have a place to drink tea here and they take it from our hands. They can’t get enough! They took our water, our tea, our meadows: whatever else are they going to take from us? Let them make the poor poorer and the rich richer by taking everything we have from us”.

Asuman Fazlıoğlu referred to the government’s statement that suggested that the project would be good for economic growth. “They claim that our economy will improve through the project. It has nothing to do with that: we do not believe them, it is just to make Cengiz Construction richer. The government is supporting that but a country cannot be governed like that”, she said.

Müjdat Albayrak, another protestor, said: “We will not give up resisting despite all the barricades they put in our way. Previously, the state was protecting the forest. Now we protect the forest from the state. There are wild animals in this valley. What will happen to them? They will all die. Here, we also produce 2.5 tons of honey and chestnut honey annually. Our demand is to stop this savagery”.


Share post
Tags: Trending

Related Posts

Turkey’s left-wing alliance clears path for Kılıçdaroğlu’s presidential challenge to Erdoğan

Turkey’s left-wing alliance clears path for Kılıçdaroğlu’s presidential challenge to Erdoğan

March 22, 2023
Newroz celebrations in Europe bring Kurds together

Newroz celebrations in Europe bring Kurds together

March 22, 2023
Boy, 14, tortured and dumped in swamp by Turkish police

Boy, 14, tortured and dumped in swamp by Turkish police

March 22, 2023
French politicians attend Newroz reception in Paris to show solidarity with Kurdish community

French politicians attend Newroz reception in Paris to show solidarity with Kurdish community

March 22, 2023
Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party insists on single list strategy in upcoming elections

Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party insists on single list strategy in upcoming elections

March 22, 2023
HDP’s Mithat Sancar calls for removal of “government of disaster” at Newroz celebrations

HDP’s Mithat Sancar calls for removal of “government of disaster” at Newroz celebrations

March 22, 2023

Videos

Turkey’s left-wing alliance clears path for Kılıçdaroğlu’s presidential challenge to Erdoğan
POLITICS

Turkey’s left-wing alliance clears path for Kılıçdaroğlu’s presidential challenge to Erdoğan

March 22, 2023

All News

Turkey’s left-wing alliance clears path for Kılıçdaroğlu’s presidential challenge to Erdoğan

Newroz celebrations in Europe bring Kurds together

Boy, 14, tortured and dumped in swamp by Turkish police

French politicians attend Newroz reception in Paris to show solidarity with Kurdish community

Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party insists on single list strategy in upcoming elections

HDP’s Mithat Sancar calls for removal of “government of disaster” at Newroz celebrations

Medya News

Impressum

About us

Privacy Policy

Subscribe
Contact
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • All News
  • Opinion
  • Kurdistan
  • Women
  • World
  • Politics
  • Human Rights
  • Ecology
  • Economy
  • Culture & Art
  • Daily Review
  • Breaking News
  • Newsletter
  • Authors
  • Podcast

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT

Add New Playlist

Loading
Contact