Press Release from Doga Dernegi

Istanbul, 17.04.2013

 NGOs have started suing the Turkish Environment Ministry for its attempt to bypass the Council of State (Danistay) decision last January which ruled against the construction of the Ilisu dam in southeast Turkey without the legally-required Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

In the legal case filed by the Chamber of Architects and Engineers (TMMOB), the Court ruled on January 7 that the Ilisu dam construction on the Tigris River, proceeding without an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), goes against Turkish Environment law and EIA regulations.

This major legal achievement for opponents of the Ilisu Dam was short lived as the Environment Ministry amended the EIA regulation three months later on April 5, providing an exemption to the Ilisu dam project.  In reaction, opponents of the dam that will sink the 12,000-year old city of Hasankeyf have now started suing the government en masse.

“The Turkish government is blatantly overriding the judicial system and environmental protection laws in the country. The government’s attitude is totalitarian,” said Engin Yilmaz, Executive Director of Doga Dernegi (BirdLife Turkey). After the new regulation, the ministry’s legal argument immediately has been sued by many organizations.

The Ilisu dam is one of the most controversial dam projects in the world. It will inundate an area of 310 square kilometres in Upper Mesopotamia including the 12,000-year old ancient town of Hasankeyf. It will have an impact on nature reserves as far as the marshes in Basra, Southern Iraq.

In 2008 European Credit Agencies withdrew their financial support for the project following the Turkish government’s failure to meet almost all of the set criteria to protect the rights of the local people, cultural heritage and nature.

In a letter sent to Doga Dernegi on  April 9, Jean Christophe Filori, the Head of the Directorate General Enlargement Unit wrote that the Commission shares concerns regarding the environmental and cultural impact of the Ilisu Dam and   “welcomed the decision of the Council of State on 7 January, ruling against the continuation of the Ilisu dam project”.

The Turkish government has already started land expropriations without meeting any of the international standards and presses on with the dam construction on the Tigris River. Against such violations, UN Committee for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights urged the Turkish government to completely review its legislation on evictions, resettlement and compensation, and to take a human rights based approach into account.

“The Ancient town of Hasankeyf and the Tigris valley is the only place on earth that meets nine out of 10 criteria for UNESCO World Heritage Status. Any government genuinely acting in interest of the country and its citizens would nominate the area as a World Heritage site, protecting its unique cultural and natural heritage while boosting the economy of the region,” concluded Mr Yilmaz.