Villagers of Bergama, in the Northern Aegean region of Turkey, have been opposing the Normandy Goldmine for over 12 years due to the devastating environmental and health effects of the cyanide used in its operations. Despite the ruling of the Turkish State Council in 1997 that the mine should be closed, and another by the Administrative Court of Izmir last year, the government issued the company a trial permit one year ago and continues to support its actvities. Village leader Oktay Konyar was recently arrested while applying for permission to hold a news conference on the topic, and supporters fear for his safety.
