Prosecutor demands life terms in Bosphorus human smuggling case

ISTANBUL - Anadolu Agency

Some 27 migrants died and nine others were never found after a boat capsized at the northern end of the Bosphorus on Nov. 3, 2014. DHA Photo

An Istanbul prosecutor has demanded 13 life sentences in addition to 362 years in jail for four suspects, one of whom is on the run, in the case of a boat accident that took the lives of 27 migrants late last year.

Serkan Uyar, Doğan Odacıoğlu and Kerem Sinayi Çakan are under arrest in the case, while Afghan national Murteza Hashimi is still on the run.

The prosecutor’s indictment noted that 13 of the victims were children, demanding 13 life sentences for each of the minors on charges of murder with possible intent.   

In the early hours of Nov. 3, 2014, a boat carrying 42 refugees en route to Romania capsized at the northern end of the Bosphorus in the Black Sea. The death toll hit 27, while nine others were never found.

It was claimed that the boat had set sail from Istanbul’s Florya neighborhood and traversed the entire Bosphorus without being spotted, despite the continuous monitoring of the strait. Other claims said the boat likely sailed from the district of Şile, along the Black Sea on Istanbul's Asian coast.

Turkish Transport Minister Lütfi Elvan confirmed that nine of the passengers had Afghan passports and that it was possible that all of the passengers were from Afghanistan.