İkizdere's nature is being destroyed – and the police and gendarmerie enforce it

Gençağa KARAFAZLI
Rize

In the İskencedere Valley in the İkizdere district of Rize, popular resistance was broken by police and gendarmerie masses, so that nature could be destroyed for the quarry of Cengiz İnşaat.Güngör Baş, who lives in İskencedere Valley, stated that the gendarmerie and police surrounded the valley from the early hours of the morning and prevented the people from entering.

“THESE ARE OUR LANDS, NOT CENGİZ İNŞAAT’S”

Gungor Bas stated that CHP MPs Mahmut Tanal and Mehmet Bekaroglu also came to the region and supported the resistance of the people. Bas said, "We started to gather at the entrance of the valley. Citizens are coming, but it appears to be difficult to enter the valley, we have to decide on what to do, we are discussing with our MPs. It is clear who the people responsible for all this are. For Cengiz’ profit, a people is removed from their inhabited land.  All this cruelty will suffocate you one day. We will continue to search for ways and means of maintaining our resistance under all circumstances. These lands are ours, not Cengiz İnsaat’s."

“HAYATİ YAZICI GAVE THE GENDARMERIE THE ORDER”

Gungor Bas also claimed that yesterday (Saturday, May 1) the order for the gendarmerie to use force against the resisting people was given by Hayati Yazici, the AKP Deputy Chairman.

Baş made the following statement:

"On April 30, AKP Rize deputies Hayati Yazici and Osman Askin Bak held an informative meeting with 30 citizens at İkizdere District Governorship. At the meeting, there were photographs showing the current state of İskencedere Valley and what it would be like after the quarry was built. They tried to make us believe that the valley will be much prettier after the construction. We said, 'Leave the valley alone.' Then he met with us and especially said to me 'You are everywhere'. I said to him, 'This is my valley, my living space, my home is at the entrance of the valley, of course I will be everywhere’.

When my aunt Ayşe said, 'Do not do it, do not demolish these places. If these places disappear, life will disappear. They broke our hives, soldiers are attacking us in our own house,’ Hayati Yazici replied trying to calm her down by saying, 'Don't worry, this place will not be worse, we'll take care of your beehives, we'll give them their money, we'll buy new ones'.

Yazici's attitude was clear and determined. He left the valley regardless of our pleads to 'review the project again'.

"ON MAY 1, THE ARMY CAME"

"On May 1, at 17:00, they came with an army of soldiers and attacked all those who resisted. They broke our tents, battered our women, detained them, attacked us mercilessly."

"TODAY ANOTHER ARMY…"

"Today, while we were sleeping, they besieged the valley. The region is filled with soldiers, almost like a battlefield. There is no way to enter the valley. It is clear who the people responsible for all this are. For Cengiz’ profit, a people is removed from their inhabited land. All this cruelty will suffocate you one day. These lands are ours, not Cengiz İnsaat’s!".