Turkish government played with people’s lives: Amnesty International

ISTANBUL

People dig graves for miners who died in an explosion, in a cemetery on May 15, 2014, in the western town of Soma in the Manisa province. AA Photo

Amnesty International has released a statement on the Soma mine accident that killed over 250 workers, saying the government was “playing with people’s lives” by rejecting a recent investigation into work-related accidents.

“This was a tragedy that should have been avoided. The long history of deaths in mines in Turkey raises chilling questions over workers’ safety. The fact that the government rejected recent calls by parliamentarians to investigate serious work-related accidents is nothing short of shocking. They are playing with people’s lives,” said Andrew Gardner, Researcher on Turkey at Amnesty International. 

The government must urgently investigate the catastrophic coal mine accident of May 13, as well as reports of dangerous working practices in the mining sector, in order to stop further tragedies, the statement added.

“The Turkish authorities must launch an immediate investigation into the causes of the explosion. Remedies must be made available to the survivors and victims’ relatives. Soma Holding must fully cooperate with the process and the results of the investigation must be made public,” Gardner added.