07.07.2025 10:21
The trial of 32 defendants regarding the fire disaster at Bolu Grand Kartal Hotel, where 78 people lost their lives and 133 were injured, has begun. Victim's lawyer Yüksel Gültekin said, "How could you turn a blind eye to the burning of dozens of people to save two vehicles? How could your conscience allow this? I do not want to see your fake tears," and then left the courtroom.
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The first hearing in the case of the Grand Kartal Hotel fire in Bolu, where 78 people lost their lives, has begun.
All 32 defendants, 19 of whom are in custody, attended the hearing held in the gymnasium of Bolu Social Sciences High School. The hearing started with the identification and roll call of the defendants; CHP Chairman Özgür Özel, Victory Party Chairman Ümit Özdağ, Democrat Party Chairman Gültekin Uysal, Key Party Chairman Yavuz Ağıralioğlu, AK Party Deputy Chairman Ali İhsan Yavuz, and the Chairman of the Parliamentary Investigation Commission on the Hotel Fire at Kartalkaya Ski Resort, AK Party Erzurum Deputy Selami Altınok also took their seats in the designated area and began to follow the hearing.
FAINTED UPON SEEING THE DEFENDANTS
As the defendants entered, Gülizar Sarıtaş, who lost her son Yılmaz Sarıtaş (51) and her grandchildren Doruk and Nehir in the fire, fainted. Gülizar Sarıtaş was taken out of the hall after the intervention of the medical team.
LAWYER LEFT THE COURTROOM: I DO NOT WANT TO SEE YOUR FAKE TEARS
According to journalist Emrullah Erdinç; the court panel granted the victim's lawyer Yüksel Gültekin the right to speak. Gültekin stated, "This case should not be politicized. The crime is personal, and these individuals should be punished in the harshest way. My son was a Boğaziçi graduate and a father of three. My daughter-in-law was an METU graduate and was providing scholarships to 18 children. Other lives were also our children. I ask those responsible: How did you turn a blind eye to the burning of dozens of people to save two vehicles? How could your conscience allow this? I do not want to see your fake tears. That is why I am leaving the hall." and exited the courtroom.
"WHILE THEY WERE SAVING THEIR CARS, OUR LIVES WERE CHOKING INSIDE"
On the other hand, Zeynep Kotan, a member of the 'We Have No Other Lives Association', made a press statement on behalf of the group in front of the courtroom:
"We are here today as families who lost their children, siblings, spouses, mothers, fathers, grandchildren, and beloved ones in the Grand Kartal Hotel on the night of January 21, 2025. That night, it was not just a fire that broke out. That night, a massacre was experienced, which was knowingly allowed to happen and not prevented. This is not negligence; this is murder. The Grand Kartal Hotel is one of the largest and most well-known hotels in Kartalkaya. The owners and managers of the hotel knew this building like the back of their hand. They were aware of the fire risks, security gaps, missing fire extinguishers, non-existent fire escapes, and systems that had not been maintained for years. And they knew that if a fire broke out, people would die here. Yet, they took no precautions. Unfortunately, even during the fire, the owners, managers, and staff of the Grand Kartal Hotel did nothing. They did not give a single warning, nor did any alarm system activate. Guests were not awakened with a single word. While they went to save their cars, our loved ones were choking on smoke inside. While our loved ones were choosing a death, the hotel owners had already moved to the opposite hotel. They were enjoying their fruits. What kind of indifference, what kind of mercilessness, what kind of heartlessness is this? We have followed everything, and we are still doing so. We know about the fire report prepared just a month before the incident, which clearly revealed the lack of fire safety measures in the hotel, but the hotel owners withdrew it by saying 'these measures would be too costly.' We know about the authorities who turned a blind eye to this negligence, that the fire started much earlier than stated, that the rescue operation was only for privileged guests during the fire, that all hotel managers and staff were saved, and that the 'golden time' mentioned in the expert report was used not to save our lives but to remove the cars of the hotel owners, as well as the tampered evidence and deleted camera recordings. Now we have only one expectation. The trial process should be conducted transparently, and all truths should come to light."
Details are coming...
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