Land defence from the Aegean to the Black Sea

News Centre

Across the country, the plundering of capital, fuelled by the space opened up by the AKP regime, has intensified. Nature and living spaces have been targeted by mining and energy projects. In response, a line of resistance has emerged across the country.

From Giresun to the Kaz Mountains, and from Akbelen to Artvin, citizens have taken up the struggle to defend their land, water and livelihoods. One of the latest examples of this resistance has emerged in Giresun. Alagöz Mining, owned by AKP member Cantürk Alagöz, who previously made headlines for illegal chemical waste ponds in the Harşit Valley of Giresun, is now insisting on carrying out mining exploration activities in Sekü Village, which is part of Tirebolu.

Despite the court’s injunction to halt operations, villagers refused to allow the company to bring drilling machinery onto the site. The machinery, brought in under gendarmerie escort, was blocked. The company’s persistence since 4 April has met with the farmers’ determined resistance.

Residents emphasised that they would not permit any work to proceed until the legal process is complete. It was stated that the company was attempting to circumvent the process using permits obtained prior to the court ruling. Peasants began a vigil against the drilling rigs intended for the site. During the vigil, which has been ongoing for days, the peasants reiterated their determination to defend their living spaces.

A similar struggle is also ongoing in the Akbelen Forest in the Milas district of Muğla. Under an urgent expropriation decision implemented in January by YK Enerji, a joint venture between Limak Holding and IC İçtaş, to expand its lignite field, hundreds of plots were targeted. The peasants' olive groves and living spaces were left facing the threat of being seized for the company’s operations. The pressure in Akbelen has not been limited to expropriation alone. The arrest of Esra Işık, a prominent figure in the resistance from İkizköy, signalled that the process had entered a new phase.

PROTEST AT THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT

In response, defenders of life remain determined in their struggle. The protests that began following Işık’s arrest will continue today. On the eighth day of Işık’s detention, calls for action were made in both Ankara and Muğla. Meanwhile, Işık was transferred yesterday from Muğla Prison to Şakran Prison in Izmir. Today, a gathering will take place at 11.00 am in front of the Constitutional Court in Ankara. At the protest, demands will be made for a stay of execution regarding the expropriation decisions and for the release of Esra Işık. In Muğla, a protest will take place at 1.30 pm at the entrance to Salı Pazarı, following a call by the Milas Labour and Democracy Forces.

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URGENT CALL FOR THE CITY

In Giresun, which has become the new target of mining companies, environmental activists have issued a call. In a statement by the Bulancak Piraziz Environmental Association, it was noted that declaring 85 per cent of the province as mining areas has placed the city’s economic and ecological structure at serious risk. The statement, which highlighted that the hazelnut industry forms the backbone of the city’s economy, read as follows: “Hazelnut farming is currently practised across all the areas put out to tender. The total area of mining sites belonging to various companies in the districts of Giresun city centre, Piraziz, Dereli, Bulancak and Şebinkarahisar is approximately 125,000 dunams. Our settlements, encompassing a total of 38 different villages and highland pastures, have been handed over to mining companies. We call upon the people of Giresun, who cherish their hazelnuts like their own children, to stand up against this hostility towards Giresun and defend their land.”

Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Ege’den Karadeniz’e toprak savunması, published in BirGün newspaper on April 7, 2026.