In addition to the incompetence of the Turkish legal system, this case illustrates how twenty first century power politics is being played out in the arena of environmental projects.
Attacks against protesters with police tear gas,Artvin Cerattepe and Genya mine, February 2016.EJAtlas. All rights reserved.Environmental rights are now widely recognized by many constitutions throughout the world. The 1982 constitution of Turkey also recognizes a right to health and a balanced environment (article 56). Nevertheless, the application of this right on the ground has not been free of contestation, particularly when big projects with opportunities for vast profit are at stake. In fact, the application of environmental rights is becoming one of the most incendiary battlegrounds of the twenty first century, where the rules of capitalism are most urgently on course to be modified.
