Two Turkish lawyers sue China for alleged negligence in fight against coronavirus

ISTANBUL

Two lawyers from the capital Ankara have filed a lawsuit case against China, where COVID-19 first emerged, over “lost profit” damages on the allegation that the contagiousness of the virus was not made public initially and the country was hiding data from the World Health Organization (WHO).

Lawyers Melih Akkurt and Selenay Akkurt, who filed a lawsuit in the Ankara Civil Court of First Instance, argued that the number of patients in China was reported to the public incorrectly.

The lawyers claimed that the Chinese doctors that tried to inform the public about the pandemic were silenced, accusing China of negligence.

Melih Akkurt, who said that nearly 40 countries have applied to the judiciary regarding compensation and similar claims due to the coronavirus, also noted that many clients in Turkey also have applied to them and that their companies had suffered during the outbreak.

Akkurt claimed that Turkey was on the receiving end of the damages caused by China, therefore, the Turkish judiciary could get involved.

He said that other individuals and companies who were victims of COVID-19 could also sue the country.

The virus, which emerged in Wuhan last December, has now spread to at least 177 countries and regions, according to figures compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

The data shows more than 4,262,799 cases have been reported around the world since December, with the global death toll nearing 291,981.