Families to Attend Second Hearing of Isias Hotel Case: "Criminals Won't Get Away"

The trial will proceed based on technical reports. The lawyers representing the families of the Champion Angels will present three separate technical expert reports to the court, objecting to the Gaziantep University technical report that led to the release of two detainees.

In the earthquake in Turkey on February 6, 2023, a total of 72 people, including Turkish Cypriot students, teachers, and families from the Gazimağusa Turkish Maarif College volleyball team, lost their lives, buried under the rubble of the Grand Isias Hotel in Adıyaman. The first hearing of the case was held at the Adıyaman 3rd Heavy Penal Court between January 3rd and 6th, and the court decided that the second hearing would take place on Friday, April 26th, at 09:00.

As with the previous hearing, Prime Minister Ünal Üstel and his team, the main opposition Republican Turkish Party (CTP) leader Tufan Erhürman, some ministers, the President of the Temporary and Special Committee Established to Monitor the Legal and Judicial Process Related to the Earthquake in the Republic Parliament, Oğuzhan Hasipoğlu, and committee members, along with some MPs, a large delegation of families, and Hasan Esendağlı from the Bar Association and the legal team in Cyprus, will attend Friday's hearing.

The delegation, consisting of families and other politicians, will depart from Ercan Airport tomorrow morning and travel to Adıyaman via Istanbul. After the hearing on April 26th, they will return to the island on April 27th.

Prime Minister Ünal Üstel has already traveled to Istanbul today before heading to Adıyaman. After his meetings, he will proceed to Adıyaman for the trial.

Karakaya's Statement

Ruşen Yücesoylu Karakaya, President of the Champion Angels Foundation, emphasized, "If the perpetrators of the Grand Isias Hotel think they will continue their lives freely after being released, they are mistaken." Karakaya highlighted that apart from one report obtained by the criminals through certain means, all other technical expert reports obtained by the prosecution and themselves clearly show the building's faults.

Karakaya emphasized the need for the court to act based on these facts and stated, "We will pursue those who took our loved ones away from us until the end, because we have made a promise to our angels."

Esendağlı's Remarks

Hasan Esendağlı, President of the Cyprus Turkish Bar Association, stated, "Our fight for justice for the Champion Angels, who lost their lives at the Grand Isias Hotel, continues without slowing down." He mentioned that they would request the court to send the case back to a different expert witness in light of the arguments put forward by both sides regarding the expert report.

Esendağlı emphasized that they have three separate technical expert reports that clearly demonstrate all construction defects, violations of regulations, and the culpability of the defendants. He mentioned that the technical experts who prepared these reports would attend the court on April 26th and challenge the Gaziantep University reports.