People’s main concern is impunity: Parliament speaker
ANKARA
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Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş has urged that the growing perception of impunity undermines the people’s confidence in justice, stressing that holding all responsible officials accountable over the devastating hotel fire that killed 78 people will be essential in avoiding this belief in the public opinion.
“This is one of the biggest disasters in our recent times. So, investigating this thoroughly and holding accountable all those who have negligence in doing their job are our common expectations,” Kurtulmuş said in an interview with daily Hürriyet on Jan. 30.
Some 78 people were killed in the hotel fire in the northwestern province of Bolu last week amid claims of negligence of hotel management, the municipality and the Culture and Tourism Ministry.
Prosecutors have already launched a massive investigation into the disaster and detained 28 people, including the hotel owner and municipal officials.
Kurtulmuş underlined that the people want to see a meticulous investigation into the incident and bring all those responsible before the court.
“The public’s main concern is this: The perception of impunity, where those who are wrong, at fault and who do their job inadequately are not punished... This is like a worm gnawing at people’s insides. Breaking this perception and bringing all those responsible before a court is therefore our main demand,” he stated.
Kurtulmuş recalled that all the political parties at parliament have agreed to form a special commission to investigate the fire in Bolu with hopes that it will shed a light on the reasons and propose solid recommendations to avoid future disasters.