Diyarbakır protesters confront gendarmerie over solar plant

Protests erupted in the Sur district of Diyarbakır, specifically in the Kervanpınar (Sati) village area, following the commencement of construction for a Solar Energy Plant (GES). Despite an ongoing court process regarding the project, heavy machinery arrived at the site accompanied by gendarmerie forces to begin work.

Local residents, members of the DEM Party, the Diyarbakır Bar Association's Environmental Commission, and various civil society organizations organized a march to protest the development. The group, carrying signs such as ‘We do not want GES, we protect nature,’ was blocked by gendarmerie units near the project site.

Protesters highlighted that an expert report had previously found the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) decision for the project to be unsuitable. DEM Party Diyarbakır Co-Chair Yunus Muratakan criticized the presence of masked security forces, stating that law enforcement should be protecting the people and their rights rather than protecting corporate interests and land at the expense of the local environment and water resources.