Gun attack on villagers protesting forest demolition in Turkey leaves one dead

In Turkey’s Artvin province, one villager was killed and two people were wounded in an armed attack by the company workers against the villagers who wanted to stop the teams coming to cut trees for the recreation area project to be built in the forest area.

Tuesday September 03 2024 02:37 pm

Duvar English

In the Cankurtaran area of Hopa district in Artvin, a person was killed and two others were injured in an armed attack against villagers who were trying to block construction equipment from entering the forest for a planned recreational area project.

Villagers organized through Çifteköprü Agricultural Development Cooperative on Sept. 3 wanted to prevent the cutting of trees in the forested area.

According to the ANKA news agency, one person from the tree-cutting company opened gunfire on the villagers who wanted to prevent the construction machines.

Reşit Kibar, Ersan Koyuncu and Gökhan Koyuncu were wounded during the attack. Athough they were taken to the hospital for treatment, Kibar, who was seriously wounded, died in the hospital.

The villagers opposed a bungalow project of 15-20 houses, claiming that a stone quarry would actually be built and that the project was not aimed at tourism.

A worker from the Ustabaş company, who had taken on the tree-cutting job for the project, opened fire on the villagers who stood in their way to prevent the cutting.

Muhammet Ustabaş, identified as the person who fired the shots, has been sought, and the forest clearing has been halted.