Governor’s office bans rallies, protests before controversial mine hearing in Turkey’s north

ARTVİN

The Artvin Governor’s Office has banned rallies and protests in the Black Sea province for a month in the wake of an announcement that a hearing for a controversial mine construction will be held on Sept. 19. 

A company’s efforts to extract mine in the Cerattepe region in Artvin has created massive tension in the district, with the governor’s office imposing a ban “as a precaution.” The decision was made possible by the ongoing state of emergency, Doğan News Agency reported. 

“In order for the current peaceful situation to continue and prevent harm against public peace, all rallies, press releases, meetings, sit-in protests, distributing notices and similar activities were banned due to violent activities that can emerge before, during or after them,” the statement released from the governor’s office read. 
Massive protests erupted earlier in 2016 over a controversial gold mine plan in the Cerattepe area.