In the Hesandin highland of Kulp district in Diyarbakır, six villages have been waging an ecological struggle against mining companies for 17 years.
The company conducting mining exploration in the area, Kulp Mining and Foreign Trade Inc., previously made headlines with an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report that concluded "EIA not required."
Defending life against mining: 17 years of resistance in Hesandin Highland
According to records from the Turkish Trade Registry Gazette, the company’s board includes Mehmet Emin Eren and Mehmet Nesim Eren, both from Baloğlu Village in Kulp.
Both individuals are currently on trial for alleged robbery and attempted murder crimes targeting Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya’s doctor, Kerim Diler, and several businessmen.
The indictment includes findings that Ahmet Yakut and Cüneyt Yakut assigned the organized crime group known to the public as "Redkits" to carry out an armed attack on Minister Yerlikaya’s doctor, Ali Kerim Diler, via defendant Mehmet Nesim Eren – a board member of Kulp Mining and Foreign Trade Inc.
From the indictment
Defendant Mehmet Nesim Eren faces charges of "membership in a criminal organization established to commit crimes, attempted premeditated murder, purchasing or possessing unlicensed firearms and ammunition, and attempted intentional killing."
Charges against co-defendant Mehmet Emin Eren include "attempted premeditated murder, attempted intentional killing, and membership in a criminal organization established to commit crimes."
Gendarmerie station built in mining zone
In April 2025, local villagers noticed new roadwork in the mining exploration area and reported it to the Diyarbakır Bar Association.
Bar association lawyers visiting the site were informed that the construction was related to a new gendarmerie station and that the roadworks were part of this project. Company officials claimed that "the station under construction had nothing to do with the company’s operations."
However, when we contacted the company, mining engineer Ö.K. stated that the gendarmerie station was indeed being built by Kulp Mining and Foreign Trade Inc.
"We are building the station"
Mining engineer Ö.K. said:
"We obtained permits from the General Directorate of Mining Affairs to operate in the region. Since we’ll be conducting mining activities there, we completed all the necessary procedures. However, in the same area, the Gendarmerie General Command decided to build a station to monitor both the Kulp road and the surrounding areas. Because we are miners, they asked us to construct the station. So, on behalf of the state, we are also building the gendarmerie station. In other words, as a donation."
(ED/DT)
