September 16 Hearing in Akbelen: Villagers Call for Solidarity; Request to Overturn the Emergency Expropriation
The hearing for the lawsuit filed in Milas seeking the annulment of the urgent expropriation decision covering İkizköy will take place on September 16. Residents of İkizköy, Karacahisar, and Çamköy issued an open letter to the public calling for solidarity ahead of the hearing.
This article was translated automatically from Turkish. Türkçe orijinal ›
The land dispute in Akbelen, which has been ongoing for years, is returning to the courtroom in mid-September. The hearing for the lawsuit filed to overturn the emergency expropriation decision covering İkizköy, located in the Milas district of Muğla, will take place on Wednesday, September 16.
Ahead of the hearing, residents of İkizköy, Karacahisar, and Çamköy issued an open letter to the public calling for solidarity.
The Council of State had suspended the implementation
As noted in the letter, the Council of State had suspended the enforcement of the urgent expropriation decision in the case and set the hearing date for September 16, 2026.
The decision in question was issued to expand the mine supplying coal to YK Energy’s Yeniköy-Kemerköy Thermal Power Plant and was justified on the grounds of “public interest.”
"Public interest is not the benefit of a company"
In their letter, the villagers challenge the justification for the expropriation: “The public interest is not the benefit of a company—a private company, at that. We are not against energy, and ways to generate energy can be found without plundering our land. But once our land is plundered, there is no turning back.”
The letter also summarizes the strategy to be followed at the hearing as follows: “At this hearing, we will defend the public interest of the villagers and the community against the profits, rents, and interests of corporations. We will demand the annulment of the expedited expropriation decision and constitutional protection for our lands.”
“Not Just for Our Own Land”
Citizens emphasize that the struggle is not limited to İkizköy: “In Akbelen, we are fighting not just for our own land, but for all villagers striving to protect their villages, homes, land, and livelihoods—and for our country.”
The letter draws attention to the destruction of forests, olive groves, water sources, and fertile land, as well as workplace accidents at the mine and health issues in the region, and concludes with the question, “How is this in the public interest?”
