Short Resume of the Members of International Working Group

Ahmet Atıl Aşıcı (International Secretary)
ahmetatil@yahoo.com+90
537 976 63 16

Ahmet Atıl Aşıcı was born in Adana Turkey in 1973. He studied engineering at Istanbul Technical University, and then proceeded his studies on economics. He held his Ph D from the University of Geneva in 2007 and now working as an academician at the İstanbul Technical University and the İstanbul Bilgi University.

During his studies he was among the group that founded the İstanbul Ecology Initiative. He is the founding member of Turkish Green Party in June 2008.

Sevgi Mutlu (Member)
sevgimutlu@yahoo.com
+90 536 766 96 71

Sevgi Mutlu was born in Peshtera Bulgaria in 1980. She studied Biology at Uludag University followed by a master on ecology. 

She spent more than eight years as an activist in several NGOs and ecological movements (ULUKUS, EKODER, WWF, and DOGADER to mention a few). She joined the Green movement in 2003 and became one of the founding members of Turkish Green party in 2008. She worked in European Parliament Green Group in 2007 as an intern.

Currently she is working as a project coordinator at the Municipality of Golyazı, Bursa. 

Ümit Şahin (Party Co-Spokesperson)
umitsa2005@gmail.com
+90 535 354 89 49

Umit Sahin was born in Istanbul in 1969. He studied medicine in Istanbul University. He made his Master of Public Health in Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and PhD of Public Health and Environmental Health in Istanbul University. He is one of the founders of Society of Doctors for the Environment in Turkey, in 1998. He was president of the Society in 2002-2006. He worked as activist in several anti-nuclear and ecologist organizations published several journals since the early 90's. He is still the editor-in-chief of the journal, Uc Ekoloji (Three Ecologies).

He became one of the initiators of new Green Party Initiative in 2002, and worked as press coordinator (2002-2004), and climate campaign coordinator (2005-2007). He became the founder member of Green Party of Turkey in June 2008.

He is still working professionally as a medical doctor in Istanbul.

Green Party of Turkey, Today

Yeşiller Partisi (Green Party of Turkey) is a political party aims to work for the foundation of an ecological, fair and pluralistic society. Party uses the Yeşiller (The Greens) as the acronym.

Yeşiller Partisi considers that the industrial consumer society is driving the nature and society towards devastation. Not only the foods we eat the water we drink the air we breathe; the social life is also being polluted. Poverty, inequalities and discrimination are increasing. Violence is spreading to all spheres of the society and our world is being driven to another war spiral. Corporate globalism, which ignores the poor's, the farmers, the subsistence communities is directing all countries to the same way. Economic relationships are imposed as the only criterion of the social life; the ecosystem, human relationships and our future are being threatened for the sake of profit.

Yesiller (The Greens) are defending the green politics against this system which aggravates poverty, destroys the ecology and deepens the inequalities.

Ecological wisdom, direct democracy, anti-violence, struggle against the patriarchy, recognizing the differences and diversity in the society are among the basic principles on which the green politics is based on.

Yesiller Partisi (Green Party of Turkey) has been established in June 2008. This was the conclusion of six years of initiative work as the Greens (see in the historical background). Green Party of Turkey announced its foundation with the signatures of 40 founding members.

Today the central structure consists the Party Council (39 members) and board (15 members). Two co-spokespersons (male-female) represent the party and no president. Gender balance in all the elected bodies is to be followed (with %35-50 female representation).

Also there are local branches and initiatives in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Bursa, Tekirdag, Bodrum, Alanya and Kadıköy.

Some of the main activities of the Greens are anti-nuclear campaign, climate change campaigns, works on food and water crisis, forest fires, and other local and national ecological problems; works for a new democratic Constitution, new democratic laws (such as election law, political parties code, etc.), activities regarding democracy, peace and human rights, including minority and LGBTT rights; and social policies.

Kurdish question is one of the most important political questions of Turkey: Yesiller Partisi supports peace, anti-violence and democratic, cultural, political and social rights of Kurdish people. The Greens calls to stop every kind of violence, armed attacks and military operations.

Yesiller Partisi demands decisive and irreversible democratic reforms for Turkey on the way of EU accession, and defend the peaceful solution for Cyprus, including demilitarization of the island. The Greens, keep their struggle against war in the anti-war coalitions and social forums.

Historical Background of Green Movement in Turkey

In the early 1980s Turkish Green movement has stepped into the restrained political arena of Turkish politics. People calling themselves Greens did their first demonstrations to raise consciousness about ecological problems and to stop some investments threatened the environment. Coal power plant projects in a small Agean bay, Gokova, transforming the historical buildings to the hotels in Istanbul (such as Taskisla), destroying public parks for the sake of car parks (such as Guven Park in Ankara), protesting cement factories (such as Akcimento in Istanbul) were among these earliest activities.

One of the most prominent protest the Greens did was about the fragile habitat of the Mediterranean sea turtles (Caretta Caretta) which have chosen their breeding place at a coast near Dalyan (a small town on the Aegean Coast). The Greens reaction came after the municipality's plan to construct a big hotel at the coast where sea turtles came to breed. Following the demonstrations the plan has been put aside. Many similar successes followed this achievement.

Greens in Turkey had been getting together around many groups, associations, publications, citizen initiatives, including the first Green Party between 1988 and 1994. Following the closure of the first Turkish Green party in 1994 by the constitutional court, movement has continued its activities at the hand of independent groups.

In early 2002, Greens in Turkey decided to strengthen their political activities and to establish a new Green Party. After 2002 crucial organizational and political steps have been taken, including drafting the basic principles and the political program, and other practical works such as launching a journal, web site, e-mail networks, and preparing press releases and so on. In this pre-party period the political organizational structure consisted the main national body, called Coordination, the working groups and the local groups.

In 2008, Coordination dismissed itself and decided to launch a party founding group. Founders established Yesiller Partisi (Green Party of Turkey) in June 30^th, 2008.

International Activities - Near Future

Turkish Green Party will be the host of the Black Sea Greens Meeting organized by GEWD. It will take place in Istanbul in 31^st of October and 1^st of November at Taxim Hill Hotel.

7^th Green Dialog Meeting of Turkey will take place in Istanbul, in December 20-21.

Green Big Cities Meeting 2009 will be organized by Turkish Green Party in March 2009, in Istanbul.

A Brief Look at the Anti-nuclear Campaigns

Turkey's ambition to go nuclear goes back to 1970s. Despite many attempts, all the governments could not manage to start the nuclear power plant construction due to several reasons including increased awareness of the local people after the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. The first site chosen is Akkuyu, a small village in the eastern Mediterranean region. The heavy campaigning of Green movement helped the local people to stand against the construction of the plant and resulted in the cancellation of the tender in 2000. In early 2008, the incumbent AKP government disregards the concerns of the Turkish people by launching a new tender for the nuclear power plant.

In response to government plans, in early May 2008, Yeşiller has launched a campaign against the construction of nuclear power plant in Turkey. The campaign is called NUKLEERSIZ, "nuclear-free Turkey and the world". The campaign is supported by regular press releases, a short-film and photography contest and a chain-letter campaign directed at the parliamentarians of Turkish National Assembly.

A month before the conclusion of tender results, Yeşiller has launched the final leg of the campaign, a series of activism under the banner of UYUMUYORUZ (We are not Sleeping) in early September 2008.  The party members and activists are pledged to keep the party head-office (Yeşil Ev) in Istanbul open for 24-hours a day till 24^th of September. 

The tender results are announced on 24^th of September 2008, and only one company entered. This was another success story of anti-nuclear movement in Turkey.

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