All eyes and ears in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus are in Adıyaman, Türkiye as the latest hearing in the Isias Hotel trial takes place today.
The families of the 24 Turkish Cypriot children who were killed when the Isias hotel in the Turkish city of Adıyaman collapsed travelled to Türkiye on Tuesday ahead of the resumption of the trial of those held responsible on Wednesday.
The 24 children, alongside 11 Cypriot adults and 47 others, were all killed when the hotel, collapsed during the earthquakes in the region on February 6 last year.
They had been in Adıyaman to attend a volleyball tournament.
The families were joined on Tuesday morning’s flight by government officials and MPs including the Minister of National Education Nazım Çavuşoglu, Interior Minister Dursun Oğuz, the leader of the main opposition Republican Turkish Party (CTP) Tufan Erhürman, and chairman of the Parliamentary Isias Hotel Trial Monitoring Committee Oğuzhan Hasipoğlu
Prime Minister Ünal Üstel and other high-profile MPs joined the delegation.
At the most recent hearing in April, Adıyaman’s third highest criminal court ordered that a new university report be written regarding the hotel’s collapse and the 72 deaths.
The report was written by the Dokuz Eylül University in Izmir and is the fourth such report to have been compiled concerning the Isias hotel’s collapse.
The third, written by Ankara’s Gazi University, had generated controversy as it had been much less scathing than the other two and had led to the release of two of the suspects who had initially been held in custody following the first phase of the trial in January.
The previous two had been written by Trabzon’s Karadeniz Technical University and the Istanbul Technical University and outlined how sand and gravel from a local river had been used in the hotel’s construction, and how supporting columns had been cut at the hotel, among numerous other deficiencies.
In May, the Adıyaman Provincial governor’s office had permitted for criminal investigations to be launched into the conduct of four retired former civil servants when the Isias hotel’s owners had filed applications for various construction and change of use permits over the years.
It had been found that permits had been given to the Isias hotel which did not comply with the relevant laws, and that information written on permits did not match the work which had been carried out at the hotel.
Meanwhile, President Ersin Tatar conducted a video call with Ruşen Karakaya, the chairman of the Champion Angels Association.
During the meeting, President Tatar expressed his hopes for a just outcome in the Isias Hotel case, emphasizing the importance of justice being served.
He conveyed his support to the association and the families affected by the tragedy, reaffirming his commitment to ensuring that the legal process concludes with fairness and accountability.
Prime Minister Ünal Üstel who is Adıyaman for hearing told the press that the case has become a collective legal battle for the Turkish Cypriot community.
“We stand with our families throughout the trial process related to the Isias case.”
He emphasized the government’s commitment to ensuring that the highest and most deterrent punishments permissible by law are applied, pledging to follow the case to its conclusion,” he said.
“We are here in Adıyaman seeking justice. Our sorrow is profound and will not subside. We will pursue the case until justice is served and those responsible for constructing the hotel are duly punished.”
Reiterating their faith in the Turkish justice system, Üstel underlined their expectation that the third report be prepared swiftly, advocating for the prosecution of the hotel owners on charges of probable intent.
