Only lawyers allowed in expert examination in Akbelen forest

* Photo: Twitter

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An expert examination was carried out in the Akbelen forest in Muğla's Milas yesterday (September 7) as part of the lawsuit filed by the villagers of İkizköy demanding that the permission granted to the YK Energy for operating a coal mine in the region be cancelled.

The citizens greeted the experts on the Milas-Ören roadside. Carrying banners, they chanted the slogan, "We won't give the Akbelen forest."

The entrance of the Akbelen forest, where hundreds of citizens were present, was the point specified by the complainant KARDOK association's lawyers Arif Ali Cangı and İsmail Hakkı Atal and the delegated member of the court a day before. But the vehicle of the experts drove past this point without pulling off. The lawyers could not reach the experts by phone for some time.

Bilir kişi heyeti içeride biz ve uzmanlarımız alana alınmadık. Avukatlarımız ve destek için gelen avukat heyetleri alanda. Bekliyoruz. Keşke biz de derdimizi anlatabilsek ve #AkbelenOrmanınıVermeyeceğiz diyebilsek. pic.twitter.com/7SQAzumQn9

— İkizköy İnsanca Yaşam için Direniyor (@ikizkoydireniyo) September 7, 2021

Lawyers allowed in thanks to objections

Around half an hour later, the lawyers could find the delegation in the İkizköy-Işıkdere area and join the examination. The judge did not allow anyone except for the lawyers of the complainants to join the examination. Following the objections, the observing lawyers from the neighboring Muğla, İzmir and Adana Bar Associations could come to the examination in the mining site.

The commission of experts consisted of not only environmental and mining engineers but also a hydrogeologist, geologist and biologist upon the request of the association's lawyers. But the court did not include an agricultural engineer, climate expert, public health specialist and an economist for social costs analysis in the commission despite the association's request.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people who came to the Akbelen forest to support the people of İkizköy as well as the villagers of İkizköy held a forum in the site where they had been keeping a watch for days.

The Akbelen struggle and forest-mine-energy policies were discussed at the forum. where slogans were being chanted and folk songs were sung.

What happened?

The Akbelen Forest in Muğla's Milas was cut down in order to provide the Yeniköy Kemerköy Thermal Power Plant operated by the LİMAK Holding with lignite. The villagers of İkizköy, where the forest is located, have been waging a struggle in the face of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry permission to open a lignite mine in the 740-decare Akbelen Forest.

Villagers and environmentalists sued the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the General Directorate of Forestry by applying to the Muğla 1st Administrative Court. Receiving the defense of the administration, the court ruled for an expert examination in the forest.

Not waiting for the court ruling, the Directorate General of Forestry came to the forest with excavators on July 17 and started cutting trees. In response, the people of İkizköy filed a criminal complaint against the officials of the Directorate General for "misconduct in office."

The cutting of trees stopped thanks to the struggle of the villagers who put up tents and started keeping watch at the entrance of the forest.

In the lawsuits filed against the cutting of trees in the Akbelen Forest in Muğla's İkizköy in Milas, the administrative courts granted motions for stay of execution. The decision of "No Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is necessary" was also cancelled.

The people of İkizköy welcomed the decisions given by the Muğla 3rd Administrative Court and the Muğla 1st Administrative Court. While the former gave a decision of stay of execution for the EIA Exemption for the Integrated Facility, the latter halted the execution of the cutting of trees. The courts also requested the expert examination in the Akbelen forest. (TP/SD)