48 people sued over gold mine protest in Turkey’s north

ARTVİN – Doğan News Agency

DHA photo

A lawsuit has been filed against 48 locals who protested a major company’s mining efforts in the Black Sea province of Artvin in February.

The Artvin Chief Public Prosecution’s Office prepared an indictment against 48 protesters over “opposition to the meeting and demonstration marches law” and “resisting police officers” following an investigation into the incidents. A lawsuit was filed against the protestors in the Artvin Criminal Court of First Instance.

The first hearing of the case will be held on Sept. 23.

A controversial gold mine plan in Artvin’s environmentally pristine Cerattepe district had sparked outrage, as hundreds of protesters resisted the company’s efforts. Police and gendarmerie forces fired tear gas on Feb. 17 to disperse demonstrators who had erected barricades, set garbage bins alight and made bonfires with tree branches in order to block the construction work.

The Artvin Governor’s Office had also banned all entry in the province.

However, the construction was halted until a judicial process was completed following a meeting between a delegation from the province and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu on Feb. 24.