Police detained the leaders of the Independent Miners Union (Bağımsız Maden İş) today in Ankara during a demonstration over unpaid wages.
The intervention occurred as workers from the Doruk Madencilik company attempted to march from Kurtuluş Park to the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry
Police used pepper gas to disperse the group after they breached a blockade in the park. The union's chairperson Gökay Çakır and organizing specialist Başaran Aksu were taken into custody as police moved in to break up the protest for the second time.
Video showing the moments Çakır and Aksu were apprehended:
Holdingleri koruyorlar!
— Bağımsız Maden İş (@bagimsizmadenis) April 27, 2026
Ankara Valiliği ve Ankara Emniyeti holdingleri koruyor. Genel Başkanımız Gökay Çakır ve Başaran Aksu bu sebeple gözaltına alındı.
Madencileri durduramayacaksınız!#HakkımıVerDorukMadencilik pic.twitter.com/hnSPsvVSrO
The workers have been staying at the park since arriving in Ankara on foot from Eskişehir on Apr 20. They set out from Eskişehir on Apr 12 and reached the capital city eight days later, when they began their hunger strike.
Despite the police crackdown, the workers remained in the park, striking their helmets on the ground and vowing to continue the protest until all severance and wage arrears are paid in full.
"We are only asking for the sweat of our brow that we have earned," one worker said during the protest. "We want our children's sustenance. We didn’t even mention the value of inflation. We just want the sweat of our brow that we’ve earned."
“We won’t leave without getting what’s rightfully ours. Let them come here,” said another.
The workers were also joined by Erkan Baş, an MP and the head of the Workers' Party of Turkey (TİP), and deputies from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP).
Some workers collapsed after police used pepper spray:
Madenciye reva gördükleri bu!
— Bağımsız Maden İş (@bagimsizmadenis) April 27, 2026
8 gündür açlık grevindeyiz. Hakkımızı istedik, biber gazıyla geldiler. Holdingler üzülmesin diye bu kadar çaba!#HakkımıVerDorukMadencilik pic.twitter.com/rEAOgDXHVp
The Labor and Social Security Ministry stated on 24 Apr that some payments had been made and the company was fined. The ministry claimed remaining debts would be settled this week.
However, the union dismissed the statement as smoke and mirros, noting that the distributed funds covered only one-fiftieth of the total amount owed to workers. (HA/VK)
