Court jails hotel owner, architect in landmark earthquake trial

ADIYAMAN

An Adıyaman court has delivered its verdict in the Grand İsias Hotel case, one of the landmark trials stemming from the devastating 2023 earthquakes, sentencing six defendants, including the hotel owner and architect, to prison.

The hotel collapsed during the earthquakes on Feb. 6, 2023, killing 72 people. The quakes, which ravaged 11 southern provinces, resulted in the deaths of over 53,000 individuals.

Among those staying at the Grand İsias Hotel during the disaster were a school volleyball team from Turkish Cyprus and several Turkish tour guides.

After hours of testimony, the judicial panel convened for an additional four-hour deliberation before issuing the verdict early on Dec. 25.

As with previous hearings, Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Ünal Üstel and numerous high-ranking officials attended the session in Adıyaman to observe the proceedings.

Hotel owner Ahmet Bozkurt received a jail term of 18 years and five months for "causing the death or injury of more than one person through conscious negligence,” as he failed to ensure the building complied with earthquake regulations.

“I am not the architect who designed the building; I merely own the land and run the business. I do not deny my role, but the allegations suggesting I acted as the contractor or falsified documents are baseless,” Bozkurt stated, rejecting the accusations.

“If the earthquake not been this severe, my hotel would not have collapsed,” he said.

His son Mehmet Fatih Bozkurt was sentenced to 17 years and four months in prison and architect Erdem Yılmaz got 18 years and five months on the same charges,

The owner's son emphasized his innocence, asserting, “I hold a visa-free passport. If I had intended to flee, it would have been effortless. But I chose to stand trial because I am not guilty.”

Speaking to reporters after the hearing, the Turkish Cypriot premier underscored his dissatisfaction with the penalty imposed on the hotel owner but acknowledged that “justice has been served” with the sentences given to the rest.

“Hotel owners did not get the punishment we had expected. However, the judiciary has ensured that every individual involved in the hotel's construction, from the architect to others in the chain, faced due accountability. This brings us partial solace,” he remarked.

Üstel affirmed that Turkish Cyprus had closely monitored the trial since the first day and expressed confidence in the Turkish judiciary.

“This case may have reached a conclusion here, but for us, it is far from over. Once the detailed reasoning of the verdict is released, we will escalate the matter to the appellate court and continue pursuing justice as a nation,” he declared.

In the aftermath of the seismic catastrophe, which left thousands of buildings in ruins, Türkiye's Justice Ministry established a bureau dedicated to investigating crimes related to earthquake collapses.

Alongside the Grand İsias Hotel trial, another high-profile case involving a luxury residential complex in Hatay, marketed as a "corner of paradise" that collapsed and killed 269 residents, has garnered significant attention domestically and internationally.

In the Hatay case, 59 individuals believed to have been inside their homes at the time of the early-morning earthquake remain unaccounted for, with their bodies yet to be recovered.