An energy company began uprooting olive trees in the southwestern province of Muğla on Monday under the protection of gendarmerie forces, despite protests by local villagers, Turkish media reported.
Gendarmerie units escorted equipment owned by Yeniköy Kemerköy Enerji (YK Energy), blocked access to Akbelen and detained four villagers, including village chief Nejla Işık, who resisted. Işık, along with Halil Şallı, Seçil Şallı and Serpil Şallı, was later released after giving a statement to the security forces.
The İzmir Bar Association condemned the operation, saying it violates Articles 56 and 169 of the Turkish Constitution as well as Law No. 3573 on Olive Cultivation. The uprooting also sparked nationwide outrage, with solidarity protests held in İstanbul, İzmir and Eskişehir.
Environmentalists warn that the destruction of water resources and agricultural land in the region would put life in 48 villages at risk.
YK Energy, a joint venture of Limak Holding and İbrahim Çeçen (IC) Holding, seeks to expand a coal mine to supply the nearby Yeniköy-Kemerköy thermal power plant. Locals have been resisting the company’s plans since 2019. Last year, the company felled tens of thousands of pine trees on 750 acres of land. In the first stage of its current project, the company plans to uproot and relocate 151 olive trees.
The company’s earlier attempts to work in olive groves had been blocked by Law No. 3573. But a legislative package that came into force on August 4 opened olive grove areas to mining, allowing companies supplying electricity to relocate trees from these lands and requiring them to restore orchards once operations are complete.
Although the law explicitly bans cutting down olive trees, companies have continued operations under the pretext of “relocating” them. The regulation has drawn strong criticism from environmentalists, farmers and opposition politicians, who warn it paves the way for the eventual destruction of the country’s olive groves.
Seventy-seven residents from 10 villages in the Milas and Yatağan districts of Muğla who own olive groves have filed a lawsuit at the Council of State, arguing that the amendment violates the constitution. They have asked for the case to be referred to the Constitutional Court and the regulation to be suspended. The uprooting began just as a verdict was nearing.
