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International peasant movement La Via Campesina (LVC) has expressed its support for people of Artvin resisting against Cerattepe mining project.
LVC is a peasant movement that consists of over 200 million peasants, landless, women, young, local, immigrant, agriculture and food laborers gathering 183 organizations from 88 countries.
LVC’s mid-year meeting hosted by Farmer Union (Çiftçi-SEN) is being held in Seferihisar district of İzmir province. The meeting that began on February 21 ends today (February 25).
LVC in the declaration released on the final day of the event has supported the struggle against copper mine planned to be built in Cerattepe in Artvin.
“We are aware of the resistance put up by people of Artvin against the mining project in these days we gathered in Turkey. We know that Cerattepe resistance is about protecting natural assets such as forest and water, and all creatures including humans.
“We as world peasants refusing all destructive projects posing a threat to lives of nature and local people, declare that we stand by people resisting against mining project in Cerattepe.
“We demand police and gendarmerie violence against people of Artvin to end”.
Statement from women members of the LVC
Women farmers gathering to empower international farmer women struggle against patriarchal society, end chain of abuse and violence against women, in the declaration have harshly protested violence imposed against women.
“The women marching towards Cerattepe to see the condition of forest in Artvin and see the activities with their own eyes have been hindered and exposed to police violence in the same hours as we held La Via Campesina Women Assembly here on February 21, 2016.
“We as women members of La Via Campesina denounce the violence imposed on women setting off to protect the nature in Artvin and their life space, and state that we are in solidarity with them. (HK/TK)
