AMED - Trees are being cut down for a copper mine that threatens residential areas in Licê. Ahmet İnan from the Amed Bar Association, who applied for a "stay of execution", said: "Villages that were evacuated in the 90s are now being destroyed by mines."  

 

In 2020, an "Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is not necessary" report was issued for a copper mine to be opened in a large area including Zengesor, Heşeder, Mizak, Bayırlı and Şaxur rural neighborhoods of Licê (Lice) district of Amed. Following the report, the company from Konya, Dimin Mining started drilling. Thousands of trees were cut down in the region, causing great damage to nature. Upon the application of the residents of the neighborhood, the Amed Bar Association and the Ecology Association took action. An application was made to the court for a "stay of execution" against the company's work. 

 

'WE DON'T WANT A MINE'

 

While the legal process continues, the company's work continues. Reacting to the situation, Mehmet Yılmaz, a resident of the Şaxur neighborhood, stated that the forested area has been destroyed for about 2 years. Yılmaz stated that a police station was also built at the spot where the trees were cut down in Bilgili hamlet of Bayırlı. Pointing out that the habitats of all living things are in danger.

 

LAWYER INAN: PEOPLE WILL LEAVE THEIR PLACES

 

Ahmet İnan, Secretary of the City and Environment Commission of the Amed Bar Association, who took the matter to court, stated that the neighborhood was not consulted during the EIA process. "In a practice that will affect their lives, such an irregularity was committed without taking their opinions and without giving them the right to object," İnan said. 

 

Pointing out that the livelihoods of the residents of the neighborhood are beekeeping and animal husbandry, İnan said: "Beekeeping, forests and gardens will be destroyed. Where will the people there migrate to when they cannot graze their animals? There is a rent side to this, but there is also a political side. Villages that were evacuated by bombing in the 1990s are now being destroyed by mines and hydroelectric power plants. This system is also being tried to comply with the law. The result will be the same; people will be forced to leave their places, and we do not accept this situation." 

 

A CALL TO CITY UNIONS

 

Pointing out that the mines pose a threat to water resources and damage the forested structure of the region, İnan noted that filing a lawsuit alone is not enough to stop this situation. Inan stated that it is important for civil society organizations in Amed to be involved in the process and made call dor solidarity.

 

 

MA / Müjdat Can