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Ecotopia under threat in Turkey. international |
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news report
 Saturday August 23, 2008 12:45 by EYFA
 Armed Police are threatening to remove environmentalist gathering at Sarikum nature reserve. The participants of the 20th Ecotopia international environmentalist gathering at Sarikum nature reserve, Sinop, on the Turkish Black Sea coast, are awaiting and preparing for forceful eviction of their campsite by the Jandarma (Turkish Police), which are already present with undercover agents and several cars. The 70 participants from over 30 countries will peacefully resist this unjustified raid. The offical reason for the announced eviction was the announcement of the intention to take part in the weekly permitted press conference of the local anti-nuclear initiative SİNYAD (Sinop Nükleersiz Kent ve Yaşam Derneği Approximately 10 armed officers, ordered by the governor of Sinop, had already raided the camp on Friday to threaten forceful eviction if the site was not emptied within 3 hours. Later, this deadline was postponed to the next morning. Two days before, six participants of the camp together with local activists were arrested during an action in front of the office of the Turkish Nuclear Energy Agency (TAEK) in Sinop. After only ten minutes of spreading flyers and holding a banner, they were physically aggressed by undercover police without any prior warning. They were held in a police station for several hours and fined for not obeying police orders. Police have also shown supression towards locals of Gerze town who approached the Ecotopia gathering to request solidarity against the Thermal Coal Plant planned for construction in their town. |
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Comments (3 of 3)
Jump To Comment: 3 2 1Hope all go through this safely. Solidarity and best wishes!
22:54h.
The 32 arrested people are sitting at the police station still. There is no official statement of arrest or custody. When embassies asked for information on arrestants police actually denied to have taken people into custody(...).
The group has been split into smaller groups and taken to hospital for the compulsory check on torture and is now back at the station. They have been refused access to their lawyer, a certified translator and to contact their embassy and even access to food and water.
Rumours have it that our lawyer was told by the police that people didn't want to see him.
People have been asked to sign papers in Turkish without translation. Before the promised release they will have to see a prosecutor, even though they are not formally arrested.
23.20h: first group of 6 people got released, probably because they signed the papers. We'll deal with it now.
To be continued...
01:25h.
Everybody followed by undercover police all the time. Several people picked from the street that had nothing to do with the action! Finally, nobody has seen the prosecuter, but everybody out now. Police wanted to deport us from town back to camp site before everybody was released. Situation was really threatening. People now staying with trade unions. More tomorrow.
Sinop (Turkey), 23rd of August. This afternoon, Turkish police arrested 30 foreigners from at least 18 countries and 3 Turkish citizens who took part in a peaceful "die-in" action in front of the Sinop province Governor`s residence in Sinop.
The protests are directed against the plans to build a Nuclear Technology Centre in the Sinop region. Participants are members of environmentalist movements worldwide. They want to draw attention to the fact that nuclear energy is dangerous, polluting and expensive. Instead of investing in nuclear technology, Turkey should use its great potential for solar and wind power, as well as increasing energy efficiency.
"The Turkish state seems to be very afraid of their citizens learning how dangerous nulear power is. That is why authorities do not tolerate any protest, especially when foreigeners are involved. We are seriously concerned about the denial of freedom of speech in Turkey.", says Niklas Hartmann from Germany.
On request of the German Embassy the Sinop Police Headquarters claimed that nobody was taken under custody.