Activists Mourn Death of Prominent Water Rights Advocate

Statement of Food & Water Watch and the Council of Canadians



“We are saddened and appalled by the recent death of Metin Lokumcu, who was killed in Hopa, Turkey during what was supposed to be a peaceful protest of the country’s agriculture and water policies. Lokumcu, a fifty-four year old schoolteacher and a member of the OPD, Freedom and Solidarity Party, had been attempting to mediate confrontations between protestors and police. He will be remembered as a beloved and well-respected activist, committed to protecting the rights of all citizens of Turkey to safe, affordable water.


“His death falls just days before Turkey’s general election, from which the Freedom and Solidarity Party had been banned from participating. Some 90 other activists were arrested at the same protest, and their actions at the event have been labeled as ‘terror crimes’ by Turkish authorities.



”The good people of Turkey should be allowed to exercise their innate right of free speech to speak out against the government’s increasing pursuit of hydropower strategies that cause environmental destruction, displace communities and often lead to violent clashes between communities and police. How many more people like Mr. Lokumcu must die before the state recognizes that economic development strategies must be rooted in the participatory democracy of local communities?”


Contact: Kate Fried, Food & Water Watch, (202) 683-2500, kfried(at)fwwatch(dot)org.

Founded in 1985, the Council of Canadians is Canada’s largest social justice organization, with tens of thousands of members and 70 volunteer chapters across the country. The organization campaigns for water, trade and climate justice, and for the protection of public health care.