While the Akbelen Forests, located in Ikizköy, in the Milas district of Muğla, continue to be plundered by Limak Holding, which is known for its closeness to the government, there has been a five-day resistance against it. Local people, environmentalists and Green Left Party representatives and members, are taking part in the resistance.

State forces attacked people who resisted.

A response to the attacks on the people and the felling of trees came from the Hasankeyf Coordination, which struggled to save the now flooded millenary city of Hasankeyf.

In a written statement, the group said: "We know from Hasankeyf and Tigris Valley those who massacred the forest for mining in Akbelen and those who protected them."

The statement continued: "As a result of state policies, all parts of the country are in danger of destruction. Every day, a different living space is destroyed for the benefit of capital. It is clear that there are separate projects for each region. This predatory approach, which manifests itself with HEPPs and dams in Kurdish provinces and the Black Sea, takes the form of the destruction of natural habitats for energy and mining fields in the Aegean region. Those who defend life and living spaces against these projects face obstacles, oppression and violence by the state.

The Hasankeyf Coordination stands by the defenders of life who are fighting for their environment in Akbelen. It is our demand to stop the cutting down of trees as soon as possible and to cancel the mining project planned in the forest area."

Hasankeyf

The flooding of Hasankeyf began in July 2019. The cultural site, whose roots reach back to the Bronze Age, is a unique place in human history: twenty Eastern and Western cultures have left their traces here. 5,500 caves, hundreds of previously discovered monuments and a fascinating interweaving with rocks and the Tigris give the site global significance.

According to experts, Hasankeyf and the surrounding Tigris valley - one of the last remaining major river ecosystems in Turkey - met nine out of ten criteria for inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and provided a livelihood for up to 100,000 people.