A decision has been made in the case related to İsias Hotel, one of the symbols of the February 6 earthquake in Adıyaman. 3 out of 6 officials tried were sentenced to 10 years in prison. It was decided to release the defendants who were banned from traveling abroad. The remaining 3 defendants were also acquitted.
The decision was announced at the 4th hearing of the case, in which 6 state officials were tried at the Adıyaman 1st Supreme Criminal Court in connection with the death of 72 people, including TRNC athletes, at the Grand İsias Hotel, centered on Kahramanmaraş in Adıyaman, which collapsed during the earthquake on February 6, 2023.
The opinion was made by the prosecutor at the 4th trial, where the city officials were tried for “negligent murder causing injury”, which called for a prison sentence of up to 22.5 years.
In the opinion of the prosecutor, it is stated that the public employees working in the building control board were separately punished by removing the lower limit for the crime of “causing death and injury to several persons through intentional negligence” because they did not fulfill their duties during the project phase, construction and completion of the building, and that the judicial control measures were adequate and there was no need to arrest them.
REFUSED TO REQUEST ARREST
After hearing the plaintiff, the plaintiff's lawyer, the defendant and the defendant's lawyer, the Chief Justice announced his decision. The defendants, then Deputy Mayor Osman Bulut, Regional Director Mehmet Salih Alkayış and Licensing Department Director Bilal Bağcı were sentenced to 10 years in prison separately for “causing death and injury to many people through conscious negligence.” It was unanimously decided to continue to prohibit the defendants from traveling abroad and to refuse requests for their arrest according to the principle of proportionality, taking into account the form of punishment.
WONDERFUL FOR THE THREE DEFENDANT
It was decided to acquit the defendants, permanent employee Abdurrahman Karaaslan, Licensing Office Technician Fazlı Karakuş and former Regional Director Yusuf Gül, on the charge of “causing death and injury to many people through willful negligence”, on the grounds that they had no positive charges.
Families reacted to the decision saying “justice has been destroyed”.
72 MISSING PEOPLE
In the February 6 earthquake centered on Kahramanmaraş, the Isias Hotel in Adıyaman was destroyed and 72 people who were trapped under the rubble and came to the city to attend the tournament, including citizens of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, volleyball students, coaches and tour guides, were killed.
A lawsuit was filed against those who were negligent in the investigation related to the demolition of the hotel, and the then Adıyaman City Subdivision Director YG, who approved the hotel's permit in 1993, the date of the first construction, the MSA Subdivision Director, who signed the second construction permit in 2001, the Director of the BB Licensing Department, the then Deputy Mayor of OB, the permanent workers of the Control Unit AK Building, technician of FK Licensing Office was accused of “Causing death and injury” due to negligence”. Another case was filed in the 1st Supreme Criminal Court on this charge.
