'We invite MPs from all political parties to come and defend the Akbelen Forest'

Photos: İkizköy Direniyor Twitter account

Click to read the article in Turkish

Genderma and water cannon vehicles were sent to the area where the İkizköy villagers and ecologists are keeping watch against the building of a coal mine inside the Akbelen forest in the İkizköy village, in Milas, Muğla, early in the morning at 05:30 am. 

Genderma intervention with tear gas

There was by the gendarme intervention using shields and pepper gas on the villagers trying to enter the forest area where there is tree logging. Three people, and a lawyer of the villagers, İsmail Hakkı Atal among them have been taken into custody. 

Nejla Işık, a representative of the villagers resisting tree logging in the forest talked to bianet. 

"We cannot afford to lose Akbelen"

Işık told bianet that tree logging is continuing today in Akbelen. 

"The entrances to the forest were prevented in the morning. Now we can at least enter into the forest up to a point with our vehicle, and continue on foot," she told. 

"Tree logging is continuing. The villagers who say that Akbelen should live are here anyway. But we invite all political parties, NGOs, and organizations to Akbelen today. We have to save Akbelen so that there will not be any further offenses. If we lose Akbelen, there will be many more ecological destructions to follow. We have to be more crowded today in order not to lose the forest." 

"We cannot lose Akbelen when we have waged a struggle for so long. Therefore we invite the MPs from all political parties here in order to defend the forest, nature, life, the water, the living creatures, and a dignified life," she said. 

Nejla Işık

Request for a stay of execution

The İkizköy villagers and their lawyers have applied to the Muğla 1st Administrative Court today, requesting a stay of execution and reminded of the previous stay of execution rulings, on August 11 and December 7, 2021, and on July 4, 2022. 

A tree cut in Akbelen today 

What happened?

YK Energy co-owned by Limak Holding and İÇTAŞ operating the Yeniköy and Kemerköy thermal power stations, had obtained the necessary permissions to open 740 decares of land within the Akbelen forest in İkizköy to convert it to an open coal mine providing lignite for the thermal power stations. The company had however met with the resistance of the İkizköy villagers. 

A tree logging team of the Forest Administration entering the Akbelen forest at 06:00 am on July 17, 2021, had cut nearly 30 trees before the İkizköy villagers reached the spot.

The villagers are keeping watch in the forest ever since. (TY/PE)