Environmental activists have informed the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment about the events surrounding the deforestation of Akbelen Forest in southwestern Turkey and call on international community to raise their voice to stop the ecological destruction.
The ongoing battle against deforestation for a coal mine in Akbelen Forest, located in the Milas district of Muğla, is persisting. Since July 24th, numerous citizens have taken to the region to protest the situation, engaging in a de facto struggle on-site, while the legal proceedings continue. Despite an initial rejection of the stay of execution lawsuit by the Muğla 1st Administrative Court, international efforts are being pursued.
An application has been made to the United Nations (UN), informing the Special Rapporteur on the Environment about the events surrounding the logging of Akbelen Forest. The application highlights issues such as the displacement of villagers, human rights violations, environmental crimes, and actions against those who defend nature during the logging process. It urges that Turkey be held accountable for the offenses committed within its borders.
Call for international community
The ecology activists defending Akbelen Forest in southwestern Turkiye also called on the international community to take action and show solidarity with the forest defenders to stop the expansion of the coal mine run by YK Energy, a joint affiliate of IC Holding and Limak Holding, which is known to have close ties with the Turkish government.
Activists draw attention on the toll that climate crisis takes on the planet due to the burning of fossil fuels including coal, and call on the international community to raise their voice to defend Akbelen in the Aegean Muğla province.
Although tree-felling in the forest came to an end on Sunday (July 30), construction vehicles are still working on the cleared land to level the ground and open up roads for machines to turn the forest area it into a coal mine.
Unless stopped, the coal mine is supposed to destroy 37 more villages along with the forest areas near them, including İkizköy, which is home to Akbelen.
‘Spread the message to stop ecocide in Akbelen’
In a video message shot on the 9th day of the activists’ occupation of the forest, Levent Büyükbozkırlı with Climate Justice Coalition called on “everybody who relies on democracy” to stand up speak up for Akbelen Forest to prevent a massive ecocide that will displace hundreds of people and have disastrous impact on the climate, carbon sinks, water basins, air quality, as well as livelihoods such as agriculture, husbandry and beekeping.
“Today is the 9th day of our struggle in Turkiye. We have been resisting at Akbelen forest in İkizköy village in Muğla city in order to prevent the extermination of this forest. The İctaş-Limak company aims to transform this forest into a coal mine for its thermal power plants. Yet the mine will not stop there and will continue to spread in agricultural areas, forests and olive groves. So we must absolutely maintain the Akbelen forest to protect the ecosystem of Muğla and to prevent the death of the local people at huge numbers due to cancer, in a context where the climate crisis is apparently the most important global issue. This massacre must therefore be stopped at all costs.
We have been exposed to disproportionate violence from the army and police forces, even though we continued our struggle in a peaceful manner all the time. But we will not surrender. We will continue our struggle to the last tree and we will not let this forest be transformed into a death pit.
Our ecological struggle aims to ensure a prosperous life for all living beings. The ecological struggle is at the heart of the democratic struggle. So our call is for everybody who relies on democracy. Be our voice and spread this message all around the world. Be in solidarity with us to stop this ecocide.”
Sources: Yeşil Gazete and İklim Haber