Professional chambers, unions, bar associations, non-governmental organizations and citizens in İzmir applied to the judiciary against the giant poison-laden ship. Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor to stop the planned dismantling of the Brazilian aircraft carrier Nae Sao Paulo in Aliağa. Tunç Soyer also applied individually. In the press release before the lawsuit filing, the President Tunç Soyer“I promise as the Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality. Until my last breath, I will work hard to protect the tree, sea and Aliağa of İzmir. We will all send that ship back as it came from here," he said.
The dismantling permit granted by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change to the Nae Sao Paulo giant aircraft carrier belonging to the Brazilian navy with asbestos has been brought to the judiciary. Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Tunç Soyer, İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, TMMOB Chamber of Environmental Engineers, İzmir Medical Chamber, İzmir Bar Association, Turkish Bar Association, EGEÇEP Association and a group of citizens filed a lawsuit at İzmir Regional Court of Justice for a stay of execution in the dismantling of the Brazilian Sao Paulo ship in Aliağa. . In the 34-page petition of the lawsuit filed against the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, it was emphasized that the dismantling process is against the Constitution, Turkish Penal Code, Environmental Law, Radiation Safety Law, Administrative Procedure Law, Basel Convention, İzmir Protocol, Rio Declaration and other international agreements. The petition underlined the negative effects of heavy metals such as asbestos, mineral oils, arsenic, lead, chromium, copper, zinc, mercury, nickel and cadmium, and radioactive pollution on the ship's public and environmental health, and said: It should be decided to stay the execution of the transaction without taking the defense of the administration and to complete the proceedings on the merits of the case later.
Announced in a press release
İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor in the press statement made in front of the İzmir Regional Courthouse with the participation of citizens, professional chambers, unions, bar associations and non-governmental organizations before the lawsuit application. Tunç Soyer"We'll ship it as it comes," he said of the ship. Republican People's Party (CHP) Party Assembly (PM) Member and Bursa Deputy Orhan Sarıbal, Gaziemir Mayor Halil Arda, Turkish Bar Association President Erinç Sağkan, TMMOB Chairman of the Board Emin Koramaz, DİSK Chairman Arzu Çerkezoğlu, Turkish Medical Association Central Committee Member Nursel Şahin and KESK Co-Chair Şükran Kablan Yeşil, İzmir Bar Association President Özkan Yücel, İzmir Ship Coordination, İzmir Labor and Democracy Forces, as well as many representatives of non-governmental organizations and citizens attended.
“The imperialist is now invading with their poison, but there is no passage”
Emphasizing the environmental awareness shown, the President Tunç Soyer“I am proud to protect this city together. We call it a death ship, we call it a toxic ship, but it actually needs a fix. It's not the incoming ship. A cargo that has completely lost its character of being a ship arrives. Poison, garbage cargo… Thousands of tons of incoming garbage, poison. First we need to understand this. This morning we sent 850 of our brothers and sisters from Izmir to Afyon. They will follow the path that Atatürk and our army walked. Because today is the first day of the great victory. The imperialists are now invading the countries with their poisons and garbage, but there is no passage. Izmir will not let imperialism and fascism pass. We will send them back as they came. Because those who entrusted this homeland to us have paid the price of freedom, peace and the republic with their blood and lives. The primary duty of a mayor is to protect his city. Other duties come later. As the Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, I give my word. Until my last breath, I will work hard to protect the tree, sea and Aliağa of İzmir. We will all send that ship back as it came from here," he said.
“We try every way”
İzmir Bar Association President Özkan Yücel said, “Today, we are witnessing a principle that Turkey yearns for. We started a civil disobedience movement from Izmir. This call was about Turkey. Today, representatives of professional organizations and union leaders, representing the whole of Turkey, share the same call, the same demand. We are determined to narrow the streets to them on the one hand and the courts on the other. We try every way. One of them is the court. If this court doesn't get a stay of execution decision tomorrow, we are determined to make the seas narrow for them. Let's remind. They also live in İzmir. It is necessary for them not to allow İzmir to be poisoned. A decision must be made without delay, we want a stay of execution decision before the defense is taken," he said.
“We will increase our struggle”
DİSK President Arzu Çerkezoğlu said: “Today, we are here against the order that devalues our labor, nature and everything related to human beings. As DISK, we are here with our friends to prevent the poison ship from entering our lands, İzmir, our country, and to say stop. They allow this ship to come, ignoring the health of workers and our nature for the sake of profit. They say that if that ship takes on water, we will all sink, everyone should know that we have never been and will never be on the ship of those who have devalued our labor in this country, those who have given our nature to capital, those who ignore all the values of this country. This is the ship of their mentality. Our ship is sailboats sailing in the Aegean waters, sailing with the freedom wind of Izmir. We will do our part in this process, but we know that the order that ignores us and opens everything to the market now threatens the future of all peoples of the world. In order to build a new social order on the basis of labor, we will increase our struggle by standing shoulder to shoulder more from today to tomorrow.”
“We have been witnessing looting for 20 years”
KESK Co-Chair Şükran Kablan Yeşil said, “For 20 years, we have been witnessing the plunder of nature by this government in this country. And this is not enough, those who protect them face penalties. This government is complicit in the murder of 3 women every day with misogynistic policies, this government is stealing the bread of the workers from their table every day by deepening the rent crisis it has given to the capital. The anti-labor policies implemented by this government also show our nature, which we will breathe, by giving it to capital. In the last 16 years, Turkey ranks first in Europe with an increase of 196 percent in solid waste imports. I mean, it's turning this country into a garbage dump. Our word is short and clear. Even if there is more than one, there is only one choice that leads to the same thing. All the options available for our children and us today and tomorrow, that ship will go or that ship will go or that ship will go by any means. "We will never allow that ship to be dismantled here," he said.
“We watched this movie many times”
TMMOB President Emin Koramaz, who said that they are side by side with the people of Izmir to protect life, said, “Today, we are again in front of the court against an environmental disaster and an application that threatens public health. We are here to protect Aliağa. We stand with you with the people of Izmir to protect our lives. Since the first agreement was made for the dismantling of this ship, we made a series of statements as the people of Izmir, environmental organizations and professional organizations. However, the ministry, which is the biggest representative of this issue in the eyes of the public, ignored the reports we prepared on this subject and focused its ear only on the company that it had agreed for dismantling. The ministry says that we are following the process meticulously. They say that this dismantling will comply with international regulations. However, despite our repeated requests, they do not share any of these with us or with the public. There are serious claims that that warship contains a high level of radioactive material used in nuclear tests, and that it contains 600 tons of harmful substances, including 1500 tons of asbestos. But the ministry ignores them and trusts the company's statements. These statements do not reflect reality. We have watched this movie many times. Shipyards are entered rapidly, chemical wastes are left in our country. Court proceedings are not expected. Turkey should never allow this ship to be dismantled without waiting for the results of the lawsuit we have filed here today. The only thing that's true is that this ship is the ship of death. The record of the shipbreaking industry in Turkey is bad. Shipbreaking companies in Turkey work as a ladder, the ministry does not carry out the necessary inspections. As people who love this country, we are fed up with attempts to turn this country into a garbage dump. We will never allow this. That ship will definitely go. Brazilian courts have made a decision preventing the ship from leaving the port, but it is coming. I appeal to the judicial authorities; that ship should not be brought into Turkey. I urge everyone to support this struggle. He said that the ship should be destroyed in which country it was built and used.
“We are also against 9 grams of asbestos”
Emphasizing the effects of the asbestos-laden ship on human health, Turkish Medical Association Central Committee Member Nursel Şahin said, “A death ship is coming. Despite all warnings, the death ship sailed from Brazil. The company that took the dismantling works of this ship had not even adequately examined the poison inventory of the ship when it entered the tender. The minister is also discussing the amount of asbestos with us. There is no need to discuss 900 tons and 9 tons. We are against even 9 grams of asbestos. We know that when we encounter asbestos fibres, we will get cancer even after 40 years, we know that shipbreaking is not transparent. This dismantling to be done at sea. It will come to our people, mixing into our food chains and our air. It will cause incredible damage to nature. There's not just asbestos on this ship. There are heavy metals, gases, dyes, nuclear fallout. Their samples have not been taken in the required amount and not reported to us. It is extremely dangerous for human health, our children and pregnant women. It is said that there are hundreds of thousands of meters of cable on this ship, which means both lead and plastic pollution. We are talking about a ship that is camped with uranium and where nuclear tests are carried out. The shipbreaking company doesn't care, just as the power does not. We believe that together we will stop this ship.”
“One of the biggest betrayals”
Erinç Sağkan, President of the Union of Turkish Bar Associations, said, “Actually, we have filed a lawsuit today, it was necessary to share the technical details about it, but I would like to start from another factor. There is a very different struggle that I see here. First and foremost, women are struggling to claim the nature of this country. Labor and democracy organizations, trade unions, NGOs are struggling to prevent the natural beauty of this country from being sacrificed for rent. We are facing one of the greatest betrayals to this country. Despite the very negative factors for the health of all the people of a ship that is tried to be brought into the country despite the precautionary decision, we see that this is tried to be realized for the sake of profit. We will not be complicit in this crime. We will continue the fight until the end until that ship emerges from these waters,” he said.
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