Erdoğan cancels decision to expropriate lands in Akbelen
The expropriation decision for the lignite mining area surrounding the Akbelen Forest in the Milas district of Muğla has been canceled by a presidential decree. Erdoğan had signed the expropriation decision on March 11, which had drawn significant backlash.
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AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has revoked the decision that authorized mining on 190 parcels of land in Akbelen. The decision was published in the Official Gazette.
The Presidential Decree regarding the expropriation of 190 parcels of agricultural land around the Akbelen Forest in Milas, Muğla, by the General Directorate of Mining and Petroleum Affairs for use as a lignite mining site, has been revoked.
The Presidential Decree regarding the revocation of the relevant decision was published in today's issue of the Official Gazette.
SIGNED ON MARCH 11, WITHDRAWN ON MARCH 14
According to the urgent expropriation decision numbered 8247, which was published in the Official Gazette on March 11 with the signature of AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 190 parcels of agricultural land surrounding the Akbelen Forest in the Milas district of Muğla had been expropriated by the General Directorate of Mining and Petroleum Affairs to be used as a lignite mining site.
With the decision published in the Official Gazette today, Erdoğan has canceled the decision he previously made regarding the urgent expropriation of the 190 parcels of agricultural land around the Akbelen Forest.
HAD BEEN MET WITH BACKLASH FROM MANY CIRCLES
İkizköy advocates, environmentalists, politicians, and citizens had reacted to the expropriation decision made by Erdoğan on March 11.
The Akbelen Forest was transferred to Yeniköy Kemerköy Electricity Generation and Trade Inc. (YK Enerji) in 2020 with the signature of the then Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Bekir Pakdemirli, for the purpose of providing coal to two thermal power plants in Milas, Muğla. Following the privatization decision, villagers who claimed that trees were being cut down in the region objected to the situation and began keeping watch in Akbelen.
In July 2021, while the stay-of-execution lawsuit filed by the residents of İkizköy against the General Directorate of Forestry at the Muğla 1st Administrative Court was ongoing, approximately one hundred trees were cut down in the Akbelen Forest. After the protests of the İkizköy residents and environmental activists, the tree cutting stopped.
On March 1, 2022, with the Regulation on Amendments to the Mining Regulation published in the Official Gazette by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, mining activities were permitted in Akbelen under the scope of "mining activities carried out to meet electricity needs." Following this decision by the Ministry, the cutting of trees in the area, where a watch had been kept since 2021, resumed on July 24, 2023, and thousands of trees were cut down despite the resistance of villagers and environmentalists.
Here is the Presidential decree published in the Official Gazette: