Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Thursday that Türkiye’s administrative court in the province of Kahramanmaraş should scrutinize whether the environmental impact assessment (EIA) sufficiently determined the effects of a coal power plant’s expansion on human rights.

HRW Human Rights Watch (HRW) submitted an amicus brief with the court, a legal document filed by a third party to provide additional context or arguments, arguing the assessment failed to meet legal standards.

At issue is the Ministry of Environment’s decision to approve two new units at the Afşin Elbistan A coal power plant, already one of the world’s largest coal facilities and a major source of emissions. Under Turkish law, an EIA is required to assess how projects will affect air quality, health, and surrounding communities. While the EIA for this project was approved, HRW said it omits key data and fails to provide baseline measurements or timelines for tracking air pollution

According to the rights organization, the EIA does not account for existing levels of sulfur dioxide, which already exceed national and international limits, and it lacks any health risk assessment. The group also points to the absence of a review on how the expansion will cumulatively add to existing pollution levels. Further concerns point to the plant’s location near several densely populated villages.

Medical professionals in the region have previously reported elevated rates of respiratory illness and cancer in nearby communities. Government data appears to align with those concerns. Critics warn that continued coal development in the area, including the possible future expansion of the Afşin Elbistan B plant, could worsen already dangerous air quality.

The brief called attention to Türkiye’s constitutional right to a healthy environment under Article 56, which Turkish courts have interpreted to prohibit development that places residential areas at environmental risk. Türkiye is also bound by international agreements, including the European Convention on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which impose obligations to protect air quality, even if not explicitly codified. Article 90 of Türkiye’s Constitution gives such treaties domestic legal force.

The court’s response to the brief may shape how environmental law is enforced in Türkiye going forward. The World Health Organization estimates that nearly 35,000 people in the country have died from air pollution-related causes since 2019.

While Türkiye generates 54 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, which is well above the global average, it continues to approve new coal developments. The National Rural Development Strategy, adopted in 2006, identified sustainable energy as key to preventing disasters such as flooding, which remains a serious climate risk in the region.