News from Ecotopia /Turkey, Sinop/

Turkish police detained Saturday 32 protesters, including 29 foreigners and three Turks,in the northern province of Sinop, during a peaceful protest against plans to build a nuclear power plant near a Black Sea port city.

The protesters posed on the ground as dead bodies to warn people about what they consider the dangers of nuclear power plants.

Police broke up the protest in front of the governor's office and took the protesters to a police station, claiming the protest was not authorized.

Niklas Hartmann, of environmental group European Youth for Action, told the Associated Press that the police broke up the protest in front of the governor's office and "forcibly took" the protesters to a police station.

Hartmann said by telephone from Sinop that the detained included at least two American citizens and several German and French ones, along with other European nationals.

The group has been camping near Sinop since Aug. 9.

"The Turkish state seems to be very afraid of their citizens learning how dangerous nuclear power is. That is why authorities do not tolerate any protest,"

Hartmann also said in a statement, daily Hürriyet reported yesterday. "We are seriously concerned about the denial of freedom of speech in Turkey," read the statement.

Turkey has announced plans to build a nuclear plant near Sinop after the construction of its first nuclear power plant near the Mediterranean port city of Mersin.

http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=113537