Call for immediate closure of İliç gold mine
Photo: Sedat Cezayirlioğlu
Click to read the article in Turkish
The hearing of the trial in the lawsuit brought by the Union of Engineers and Architects Organizations of Türkiye (TMMOB) against positive EIA report for capacity increase of the gold mine responsible for cyanide spill into the Euphrates river this summer was heard yesterday (November 30) in Erzincan Administrative Court.
TMMOB had brought the lawsuit against the positive environmental impact assessment report given for the second capacity increase and flotation facility at the Çöpler Kompleksi mine and requested cancellation of the EIA positive decision and the capacity increase.
The court will announce the judgment within 15 days.
The company was fined 16.4 million lira after the incident for violating Environmental Law and 132,000 lira for not complying with the procedures, and the facility's operations were suspended until the completion of the measures but no need for prosecution was concluded upon the complaint by Turkish Medical Association (TTB) on July 11 filed a demanding an investigation into the incident.
Dr. Nasır Nesanır, chair of the public health committee at TTB, Dersim Gül, TMMOB General Secretary, TMMOB Lawyer Ekin Öztürk Yılmaz, Union of Bar Associations of Türkiye (TBB) Environment and Urban Law committee members and Sedat Cezayirlioğlu who has disclosed the cyanide spill participated in the hearing.
The report is not credible
Dersim Gül, TMMOB General Secretary spoke in the press meeting held after the hearing.
Gül said, "It is very important that the EIA positive decision and the capacity increase project which will clearly cause damage which will be impossible to compensate should be canceled urgently and stopped and that the operations of this facility be stopped considering the concrete environmental impacts and risks.
"In the preparation of the EIA report, the right to participate in the process which should constitute the basis of environmental impact analysis was overlooked. Many factors were not included in the evaluation, and this process based on a report which is far from scientific or technical terminology, and which is not credible is completely unlawful."
About the companyAnagold Madencilik continues its activities in cooperation with the Canada-based SSR Mining and the Türkiye-based Lidya Mining companies. Ahmet Çalık, a businessperson with close ties to the government, chairs the board of directors of Lidya Mining and Çalık Holding. Ahmet Çalık, the chairperson of Lidya Mining and Chairman of Çalık Holding. The investment cost of the project announced by the company as the "Çöpler Sulfide Expansion Project" is 660 million dollars. As part of the project, some 3.5 million ounces of gold is expected to be produced in 20 years, according to the company website. The production cost of gold is 645 dollars per ounce. |
(TY/PE)