Journalist Kıt, who has come under investigation on suspicion of “spreading false information” and “defamation” following the mine collapse in İliç, Erzincan, said it was both her “right and duty to report on a development that could place nature and the environment under risk”

ARDIL BATMAZ, TUNCELİ

An investigation on suspicion of “spreading false information” and “defamation” has been launched against journalist Duygu Kıt upon a complaint filed by the Erzincan Office of the Governor. The complaint was filed over Kıt’s reporting on a limestone quarry to be built near the skiing center in Ergan district following the mine collapse, which occurred in the İliç district of Erzincan on 13 February 2024.

The Governor’s Office of Erzincan has claimed that the news item titled "Ergan'daki taş ocağına tepki: Köyler alana 500 metre uzaklıkta" (Opposition to quarry in Ergan: Villagers just 500 meters away), which was based on statements by residents of Ergan, Öskan Aktaş of the Ergan Village Development and Solidarity Association and villagers’ lawyer Ümit Altaş, contained “false claims and intended to discredit the Erzincan Office of the Governor.”

Governor’s Office: “Attempt to profit from current adversity”

In its petition in which it stated that the process in Ergan was proceeding in line with the law, the governor’s office said the following: “Nine citizens lost their lives in the tragic accident that occurred in the İliç district of Erzincan on 13 February 2024. Following this incident, the suspects and people unknown to us have reported on the lawfully initiated and ongoing process based solely on a statement by Öskan Aktaş of the Ergan Village Development and Solidarity Association and with no supporting documents; claimed that pressure was brought on our client institution, the Erzincan Office of the Governor, to obtain licenses which should not have been granted on the grounds that ‘there is no more economically feasible area’ and a connection was drawn between the process of establishing the quarry and the unrelated accident in an attempt to profit from the current adversity. However, as we have stated, the claims are completely false.”

Duygu Kıt: “It is both my right and duty to report on developments”

Journalist Duygu Kıt, who provided a statement to the prosecutor’s office in Tunceli on 17 April 2024, said, “As I practice journalism, it is both my right and duty to report on a development that could place nature and the environment under risk.” Kıt, who stated that she had prepared the news item based on statements by the plaintiff villagers and their lawyer, rejected the allegations.

Meanwhile, an investigation on suspicions of “spreading false information” and “defamation” was also filed against Öskan Aktaş of the Ergan Village Development and Solidarity Association upon a complaint filed by the Erzincan Office of the Governor.

On 13 February 2024, nine workers were trapped in slurry because of the partial collapse of the heap leach pile at the Çöpler Gold Mine, which is operated by the Canadian-US Anagold Mining Inc., in Erzincan’s İliç district. The body of one of the workers was recovered on day 53 of the search operations. The bodies of the other eight workers had still not been recovered as of 17 April 2024.