ANKARA
A top Turkish court on Thursday upheld a ruling to let a copper and gold mine project go forward in the Black Sea province of Artvin, a judicial source said.
The Green Artvin Association had appealed a Rize Administrative Court ruling allowing the mine project in a 38-hectare area in the forested Cerattepe district, but the Council of State rejected the appeal, said the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
Residents of Cerattepe in the mountainous Artvin province have protested the project, claiming it will mar the region’s natural beauty.
In protests following the reported ruling, at least seven people were detained for demonstrating without a permit.
The mining company said the gold and copper will be extracted via a closed processing system and will be carried through cable cars without harming the environment.
Reporting by Ferdi Turkten and Bayram Sarayoglu; Writing by Burcu Arik
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