19.01.2026 19:53
In the case of the Grand İsias Hotel, where 72 people lost their lives in the earthquakes on February 6, the court sentenced 3 defendants to 10 years in prison with a good behavior reduction, while acquitting the other 3 defendants. Families reacting to the decision said, "Damn their decision. Do they have no compassion at all? Do their hearts not ache?"
In the case against public officials regarding the Grand İsias Hotel, where 72 people lost their lives in the February 6 earthquakes in Adıyaman, three defendants were acquitted, while three others received a 10-year prison sentence with a good behavior reduction, which sparked outrage among the families.
As a result of the collapse of the Grand İsias Hotel in Adıyaman during the February 6 earthquakes, 72 people lost their lives, including students from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and tour guides, and 10 others were injured.
A LAWSUIT HAS BEEN FILED AGAINST MANY PEOPLE
The Adıyaman Chief Public Prosecutor's Office filed a lawsuit against the then Adıyaman Municipality's Zoning Director Yusuf Gül, who approved the hotel's license in 1993, Zoning Director Mehmet Salih Alkayış, who signed the second building permit in 2001, License Bureau Chief Bilal Balcı, then Deputy Mayor Osman Bulut, permanent worker Abdurrahman Karaaslan from the Building Control Unit, and technician Fazlı Karakuş from the License Bureau.
3 DEFENDANTS WERE ACQUITTED
The Adıyaman 1st Heavy Penal Court sentenced defendants Osman Bulut, Mehmet Salih Alkayış, and Bilal Balcı to 10 years in prison with a good behavior reduction for the crime of "causing the death and injury of multiple people with conscious negligence." A judicial control measure prohibiting these defendants from leaving the country was also imposed. The other defendants, Yusuf Gül, Abdurrahman Karaaslan, and Fazlı Karakuş, were acquitted.
FAMILIES PROTESTED
The families reacted to the decision with tears. Rüsiye Öz, who lost her son Hasan Öz, a tour guide, in the earthquake, said: "Cursed be the decision they made. Do they have no mercy at all? Do their hearts not ache? They acquit them. We buried our children. They will roam around, eat, and drink. Shame on them. I hope they suffer as we do. I hope their mothers cry as we do. We have been suffering for 3 years.
While we were eagerly waiting for their decision, what kind of decision did they make? I have buried a 30-year-old child. I am 57 years old, I have dedicated the rest of my life to my son, his blood will not be in vain. As long as I can stand, even if I die at the courthouse, I will not give up until justice is served. Our hearts are burning, and they are trying to burn us even more. Enough already."
"THIS CASE WILL NOT END HERE"
Özlem Gökçen, who lost her daughter Müzeyyen, a tour guide, in the rubble, said, "Their decision was already clear. My child's biggest dream was to wear this badge around her neck, but because of them, she couldn't wear it. This badge should have been around my child's neck, not mine. What will I say when I go to her? We still couldn't succeed."
Ali Ekber Tan, who lost his son Umut Ulaş, a tour guide, in the earthquake, also stated, "Let me give a message to those murderers, those criminals. This case is not over; it will not end here. This is just the beginning; they should not sleep peacefully. We will never give up this fight."
Ruşen Yücesoylu Karakaya, who lost her 14-year-old daughter Selin in the hotel, and is the president of the Champion Angels Preservation Association, said, "We will not stay in Adıyaman for another minute. May their justice perish. It is not over, it continues."
Hasan Esendağlı, the President of the Bar Association of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, also stated, "The Turkish version of the 20-minute decision is that this decision was already in the judges' minds before they entered this hearing. Our work in Adıyaman is done; from now on, there will be the stages of appeal and the Supreme Court."