"We convey our best wishes to the people of the region, especially the workers who remain under the rubble following the landslide at the 'Çöpler Gold Mine' heap leach area in İliç, Erzincan, on 13.02.2024, and their families; we hope that search and rescue operations will be completed without any loss of life.
We see that the heap, which contains cyanide and other hazardous substances, is advancing and will cause an environmental disaster in the basin, and we invite the relevant authorities to take the necessary precautions to prevent the scale of this disaster from growing.
Despite the fact that the environmental risks and pollution the mine would create were repeatedly demonstrated through deficiencies in the EIA process, lawsuits filed, and expert reports since the gold mine began operations, and despite the accident that occurred last year where tons of cyanide leaked into the soil, the mine continued to operate under the same conditions.
This process is an indication that the environmental risks of the activity were not sufficiently addressed during the Environmental Impact Assessment stage, and that the necessary inspections were not carried out by the authorized institutions after the permit was granted. The disruptions experienced in the planning, operation, and inspection processes of this and similar facilities with very high environmental risks lead to irreversible consequences.
The environmental inspection process, based on the 'polluter pays' principle, is moving toward a point where those who can pay can continue to pollute, given the amounts of fines imposed and the fines that cannot be collected. The magnitude of the problem becomes clear when considering the revenues in the balance sheets of companies in sectors with high environmental risks, alongside the fines imposed, incentives, and tax debts that they do not have to pay because they were paid or written off.
To ensure that similar events do not happen again, mining activities must be carried out within the framework of scientific truths, observing environmental values and public interest, and environmental and human health must not be sacrificed to the motive of profit.
Necessary work must be carried out on-site by independent experts to reveal the scale of the environmental disaster in İliç and shared transparently with the public. The mine must be closed and rehabilitation work must be completed. The warnings of expert professional organizations, primarily our union TMMOB and the TTB, must be taken into account.
Considering the 10 million cubic meters of cyanide-contaminated soil and the environmental massacre it has created, this is a crime against humanity. Those responsible must receive the necessary punishment."
