On 5 August, gendarmerie teams and construction equipment were dispatched to the region for the construction of a Hydroelectric Power Plant (HEPP) in Söğütlü neighbourhood in Fethiye district of Muğla province in western Turkey.

The HEPP is planned to be built on the stream, the only water source of the region. While the villagers have been protesting in the region since, the construction equipmententered Akçay under the protection of gendarmerie teams and started work to change the direction of the water.

The villagers who wanted to prevent the work were attacked by the gendarmerie. During the crackdown, 7 villagers were beaten, handcuffed behind their backs and detained. According to reports, Recep Alkaya, one of the villagers who was beaten, suffered an injury in the head.