In the village of Mizak in the Lice district of Amed (tr. Diyarbakır), protests against copper mining continue to escalate. After the company expanded its operations without a valid environmental impact assessment, resulting in disruptions to the water supply, residents occupied the company’s construction site.
“Our trees are being cut down, our rivers are drying up, our water is gone—we won’t tolerate this anymore!” shouted the villagers as they confronted the construction workers. Women from the village were particularly vocal in leading the protests. They made it clear that they would not tolerate the mining operations or stand by and watch further encroachment on their environment. Company representatives told the protesters that they were doing “useful work.” The villagers’ response was clear: “What you are doing here is destruction – and you have no business here.”
The protests are directed against a big copper project that’s been causing tension for years. Back in 2020, the authorities put out a controversial report saying that an environmental impact assessment wasn’t needed. Shortly thereafter, thousands of trees were felled in the region. In the wake of growing resistance, a court ordered an initial site inspection and a corresponding expert opinion was prepared on December 10, 2024. Due to objections from the population, the proceedings were reopened. At the end of June, a new team of experts conducted another inspection and also heard the village residents, but a ruling is still pending.