Upon the call of the Migrant Union Initiative, a protest was organized in front of Kadıköy Süreyya Opera for immigrant worker Mohammad Nourtani, whose body was burned in an illegal mine in Zonguldak.
At the protest, where the banner "Immigrants' Lives Are More Valuable Than the Owners' Mines" was displayed, slogans such as "Mohammad Nourtani Will Be Called to Account" and "Workers' Unity Will Burn the Capital" were shouted. It was emphasized that the wheel of exploitation would be broken by organizing and fighting. Burcu Çıra read the press text.
It was mentioned that the incident came to light when Nourtani's lifeless body was found in the forest: "Nourtani first fell ill in the illegal mine where he worked, and then was beaten and burned to death by his boss instead of being taken to the hospital so that it would not be revealed that the mine was in operation."
It was also emphasized that employers were protected by policies of impunity and workplace murders were covered up.
Referring to who the owner of the illegal mine is and how migrant workers are being exploited more, “How did this illegal mine, owned by Hakan Körnöş, who is also the MHP Gelik Town Chairman, get away from inspections so easily? Where did Enver Gideroğlu and Hakan Körnöş find the courage to commit such a terrible crime? We know that in this country, the lives of workers are seen as worthless, and the lives of migrant workers are seen as even less valuable. Workers' lives, which are just an expense item for the bosses, are cheaper than the fines to be paid. That's why at least 1,634 workers lost their lives in occupational homicides in just the 10 months of 2023, at least 100 of which are migrant workers.” It was said.
“IN THIS ORDER, EVEN THE FUNERALS OF MIGRANT WORKERS ARE TREATED IN A WAY THAT HUMAN Dignity is humiliated.”
Mentioning that hatred towards immigrants is fueled in every field, he continued: “In this respect, the murder of Vizier Mohammad Nourtani cannot be seen as an isolated incident, it is unfortunately a painful example of the systematic massacre of workers in the country. "In this system where hatred of immigrants is organized everywhere, from the state to the opposition, from the press to the academy, and where the bodies of immigrants washing up in ports are no longer newsworthy and are devalued, even the funerals of immigrants are treated in a way that degrades human dignity."
In the statement, it was emphasized that this was not the first time that Nourtani happened to him and said, "The first time immigrants were killed and their bodies burned to dispose of them was not in the Nourtani murder, but if you remember before, 2 years ago in Izmir Güzelbahçe, Syrian construction workers 23-year-old Mamoun al-Nabhan, 21-year-old Ahmed Al-Nabhan. “We witnessed the murders of Ali and 17-year-old Mohammed al-Bish,” it added.
“WE WILL NOT FORGET NOURTANI TOO”
It was stated that the incident was not only a problem of immigrants but also a problem of all working people: "Capital, state and order forces benefit from this by creating a domestic-foreign dilemma and try to turn working people against each other. We will not allow this. We will defend both our rights to work and our rights to life together. We will succeed in living together in brotherhood against this regime of massacre and exploitation, which divides us in life by race, language and religion, and unites us in death. We will not forget Vizier Mohammad Nourtani, just as we will not forget the mine workers murdered in Soma, Ermenek and Bartın.” The statement came to an end with these words.
(ISTANBUL)
