In the Varto and Karlıova regions, villagers have launched a resistance by setting up tents to protect their nature against a planned Geothermal Power Plant (GPP) project. It is reported that the first drilling activities for the projects in question are scheduled to begin on May 20.
The local population began their vigil after the American company Ignis H2 Inc. sought to implement two separate geothermal projects in the Varto (Gimgim) district of Muş and the Karlıova (Kanîreş) district of Bingöl. On May 3, residents set up a tent in the area where drilling is planned in Varto’s Çallıdere (Xwarik) village, demanding that the plants be stopped.
Experts and local residents point out that these projects carry risks of earthquakes and environmental destruction, warning they will destroy animal husbandry and life in the region.
Speaking regarding the tent protest, Varto resident Ali Rıza Vural said, “We promised one another that we would protect our land and our nature.” Lawyer Bahar Koç evaluated the situation by stating, “There are illegalities within the project introduction file.”
On April 24 in Varto and April 25 in Karlıova, rallies were held against the project, which will affect 22 villages, brought ecologists and people from many different cities together.
Vural: We are acting based on scientific reports
Ali Rıza Vural from Teknedüzü (Badan) village stated that they began organizing after examining the potential damages of the project through reports from the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB):
“This geothermal project has been on our agenda for about 3-4 months. First, we researched the damage geothermal energy causes to nature, people, and living things, and then we tried to explain it to our people. These aren’t just rote sentences; there is a real report from TMMOB. We focused intensely on this report. Out of fear that the same disasters experienced in the Greater Menderes Basin could happen here, we moved into a serious state of organization.”
16 villages on vigil against the May 20 drilling
Vural mentioned that between the villages of Çallıdere and Teknedüzü—where the first operating license was obtained and drilling is expected on May 20—the public has completed preparations to protect the area through a social reflex:
“We are trying to stand by our friends and provide support. We are providing logistical support. In three days, the youth will hand over the vigil shifts to the villages. In this sense, every evening, two of the 16 affected villages will keep watch there. Representatives of the village, including a mukhtar (village head), will be on duty. We promised each other that if the slightest thing happens while they are on watch at night, we will communicate, and we will all be in this field as a whole to protect our own land and nature.”
Vural emphasized that their actions are not under the control of any political institution or NGO, but are entirely a local grassroots movement, stating that all villages have locked shoulders:
“Women, children, the elderly, and the youth… This is not under the direction of any politics, institution, or NGO; it is entirely the Varto Ecology Platform. I am talking about an organization where the old, the young, children—everyone, regardless of their political views—is united and solely claiming ownership of their nature.”
We grow stronger through solidarity
Stating that logistical and moral support for the tent resistance is growing every day, Vural said that neighbors have taken over the daily chores of those on watch:
“We can see from the tent visits that people from all walks of life come to visit. They offer all kinds of financial and moral support. The friends keeping watch there all have their own jobs and work. They have livestock. Despite this, other villagers and neighbors look after their animals and meet their needs in place of those on vigil. There is absolutely no compromise here. In fact, we are getting stronger.”
Expressing concerns that the state and ministries might clear the way for the company, Vural said that no matter what happens, they will not allow their lands to be touched.
Lawyer Koç: We are waiting for a stay of execution
Providing information on the legal dimensions of the projects intended for Varto and Bingöl, Lawyer Bahar Koç stated that separate lawsuits have been filed against both the “EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) Not Required” decision and the operating license granted to the company:
“Normally, there is an ‘EIA not required’ decision and a license given to the company. Separate lawsuits must be filed for both. The Governor’s Office responded to both on different dates. Therefore, we filed two lawsuits, but their dates are not the same. We filed the lawsuit regarding the license earlier, and the one for the ‘EIA not required’ decision last week. Currently, our two cases are ongoing at the Bingöl Administrative Court.”
Emphasizing that the court has not yet made a decision and is waiting for the administration’s defense, Koç said the following regarding the process:
“A stay of execution has not been granted yet because the administration’s defense must be taken. The defense has not been made yet; the legal process continues. Since the authorized court in the region where the project will be built is the Bingöl Administrative Court, we filed our lawsuits there. After the defense comes from the administration, a date for a site discovery will be set.”
Social reaction is essential against a possible de facto situation
Stating that they do not have a stay of execution order in hand against the drilling work expected on May 20, Koç expressed that social reaction is essential to prevent the company from entering the field until a court decision is reached:
“Since the company holds the license, they may come and create a de facto situation. To prevent this, only a social reaction is necessary. Through social reaction, we are trying to stop this and ensure that a stay of execution is obtained from the court as soon as possible. This process is carried out in this two-pronged manner all over Turkey: social reaction on one side and the legal process on the other.”
This is a search for justice
Defending that the vigil tents established under the leadership of the youth are both a search for justice and a legally appropriate reaction, Koç said, “The project introduction file is full of provisions contrary to the law. In the face of such unlawfulness, it is perfectly legal for our friends to show resistance, set up tents, and keep watch there.”
