13.12.2024 17:51
In the case regarding the explosion in the mine in the Amasra district of Bartın, where 43 workers lost their lives, the opinion has been announced. In the 36-page opinion, a request for 1,123 years of imprisonment was made for 4 defendants, while separate requests for 22.5 years of imprisonment were made for the other 19 defendants.
The explosion that occurred on October 14, 2022, in the coal mine belonging to the Turkish Hard Coal Enterprises (TTK) Amasra Facility resulted in the death of 43 workers and injuries to 9 others. In the trial where 23 defendants, 4 of whom are detained, are being prosecuted, the opinion was announced. As part of the investigation into the explosion, Amasra Facility Manager Cihat Özdemir, Deputy Manager Salih Atmaca, Operations Manager Selçuk Ekmekci, Chief Safety and Training Engineer Volkan Soylu, Chief Engineer Mehmet Tural, Safety Engineer Şahan Kahraman, and mining engineers Levent Aydın and İbrahim Hakan Mengeş were arrested; 15 others were released under judicial control. The 195-page indictment prepared by the prosecutor's office was accepted by the Bartın Heavy Penal Court. In the trial, which had its first hearing on April 25, Deputy Manager Salih Atmaca was released to be tried without detention.
FROM THE INDICTMENT
In the indictment involving 116 complainants; for Amasra Facility Manager Cihat Özdemir, Operations Manager Selçuk Ekmekci, Chief Safety and Training Engineer Volkan Soylu, and Chief Engineer Mehmet Tural, a prison sentence of up to 25 years for "manslaughter with possible intent" was requested for each miner who lost their life. Additionally, for the managers, a prison sentence of up to 12 years was requested for each of the 4 seriously injured individuals for the crime of "deliberately injuring a person in a way that endangers their life." For the other 19 defendants, a prison sentence of up to 22.5 years was requested for the crime of "causing the death and injury of multiple persons with conscious negligence."
3 DEFENDANTS RELEASED UNDER HOUSE ARREST
In the 7th hearing, the court panel decided to release Safety Engineer Şahan Kahraman, and mining engineers Levent Aydın and İbrahim Hakan Mengeş, who were detained for the crime of "causing the death and injury of multiple persons with conscious negligence," under house arrest and a travel ban. In the hearings, all defendants made their defenses, and all witnesses were heard.
PROSECUTOR PRESENTED A 36-PAGE OPINION
The 10th hearing of the case was held today at the Bartın Heavy Penal Court. Extensive security measures were taken around the courtroom established on the ground floor of the Bartın Courthouse. During the hearing, the opinion presented by the prosecutor to the court was read. In the 36-page opinion prepared by the prosecutor's office, it was stated that the detained defendants Amasra Facility Manager Cihat Özdemir, Operations Manager Selçuk Ekmekçi, Chief Engineer Mehmet Tural, and Chief Safety and Training Engineer Volkan Soylu were at fault.
REQUEST FOR 1,123 YEARS OF PRISON FOR 4 DEFENDANTS
The prosecutor requested a separate prison sentence of up to 1,123 years for 4 detained defendants for 43 counts of "manslaughter with possible intent" and for 4 of the 9 injured workers whose lives were endangered due to their injuries, 4 counts of "injury with possible intent." For the other 19 defendants who are not detained, a prison sentence of up to 22.5 years was requested for the crime of "causing the death and injury of multiple persons with conscious negligence." In response to the prosecutor's opinion, the complainants and the defendants' lawyers, as well as all defendants, requested additional time for their defense. The court panel decided to continue the detention of the detained defendants and to send the file to the prosecutor's office for the preparation of the opinion on the merits.
The hearing was postponed to January 20, 2025.
WHAT HAPPENED?
In the explosion that occurred at the TTK Amasra Facility's coal mine in Amasra, Bartın, around 18:15 on October 14, 2022, 41 workers lost their lives, and 11 workers were injured. 1 worker died in the hospital to which he was transferred on November 4, 2022, and another worker died in the hospital where he was treated on April 5, 2023.