Adiyaman, Turkey. A court in Adiyaman set out its reasoning for not sending six suspects to prison in the case of the Isias hotel collapse, which killed 72 people, including 35 Cypriots. The court said the defendants had “hoped” the hotel would not collapse.
Court releases verdict reasoning
Adiyaman’s first high criminal court released the reasoning of its verdict on Wednesday, after handing down the verdict last month, and listed justifications for not jailing the six suspects.
Earthquake risk and magnitude cited
The court noted that Adiyaman province had been categorised as “high-risk” for earthquakes and highlighted that the two earthquakes on the day the hotel collapsed measured 7.7 and 7.6 on the Richter scale. It said such a magnitude had not occurred in the province in recent history and noted that most of the six defendants live in Adiyaman.
Assessment of intent and negligence
The court said decades had passed between the issuing of planning and operation permits and the hotel’s collapse in 2023. It concluded that a definitive conclusion could not be reached on whether the defendants committed the alleged crimes with willingness to accept any outcome or with “probable intent,” and said their actions should be evaluated as “conscious negligence,” because they hoped the foreseeable outcome would not occur or relied on chance.
Convictions, acquittals, and releases
The court convicted the defendants of causing death by conscious negligence rather than causing death by probable intent. Former Adiyaman deputy mayor Osman Bulut, civil engineer Bilal Balci, and former Adiyaman town planning director Mehmet Salih Alkayis received suspended 10-year prison sentences and were released on bail conditions. Building auditor Abdurrahman Karaarslan and technician Fazli Karakus were acquitted of all charges and freed.
What do you think about the court’s distinction between “probable intent” and “conscious negligence” in this case?
