All Executives Sentenced to Prison, Public Officials Acquitted

* Photograph: Association for Social Rights / Twitter

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The tenth and final hearing of the case against 18 defendants, who have been charged with "reckless killing and wounding more than one person" in a school dormitory fire that claimed the lives of 12 people, including 11 children, in the district of Aladağ in Adana on November 29, 2016, was held at the Kozan Heavy Penal Court today (July 4).

Announcing its verdict in the final hearing, the court board has ruled that dorm director Cuma Ali Genç shall be sentenced to 11 years, 1 month,10 days; association chair İsmail Uğur to 12 years, 2 months, 20 days; deputy director of the dorm Mahmut Deniz to 10 years and dorm director defendants to 8 years, 10 months, 20 days in prison.

While the court has ruled for the acquittal of public officials on charge of "causing death", they have been penalized for "misconduct in office."

Lawyer Sağkan: Eight contradictory reports

Speaking to bianet regarding the verdict of the court, Ankara Bar Association Chair Erinç Sağkan has stated, "What troubles the conscience of the people is the verdict given for the public officials. It is unacceptable that they have been penalized on charge of 'misconduct in office' while they must have been penalized for 'causing reckless killing'."

Referring to the opinion as to the accusations presented by the Public Prosecutor, Sağkan has indicated that "the most effective part of the opinion was its emphasis on the fact that eight separate reports contradict with each other and that the exact reason for the fire could not be identified."

"The building where the dorm fire took place was demolished without a court ruling and before even the first hearings started. The evidence was destroyed. Therefore, the preparation of another expert report during the prosecution process was prevented", Sağkan has emphasized further.

Concluding his remarks, Sağkan has indicated, "The heaviest sentences have been given to association executives. We anticipated that they would be penalized for causing death with eventual intent; however, the court has penalized them for killing with culpable negligence. We consider the evaluation of the court faulty. Of course, it is not a sentence that eases the public conscience. They could have been given heavier sentences."

Ankara Bar Association Chair Sağkan has also added that the families and their attorneys can take the case to the upper court.

'This case is a matter for the country'

The final hearing of the case was held at the Meeting Hall of Kozan Chamber of Commerce due to the lack of space at the Kozan Heavy Penal Court. The families and rights defenders came together in front of the hall before the hearing. Making a statement for the press there, the Union Labor (Eğitim-Sen) Adana Branch made the following remarks:

"As a result of the total destruction of public resources, thousands of our children continue living in bleak conditions. As the public sources have been made available to the use of communities, children continue losing their dreams and hopes. The Aladağ matter is a matter for the country. It is the futures and hopes of our children. We will never give up following these these cases and laying claim to the dreams of our children."

No arrested defendants in the case

In the lawsuit filed into the dorm fire that claimed the lives of 12 people, including 11 children, and injured 22 students in Aladağ on November 29, 2016, there have been no arrested defendants since the seventh hearing.

The prosecutor announced his opinion as to the accusations, demanding that İsmail Uğur, Mahir Kılıç, Mustafa Öztaş, Ramazan Dede, Ramazan Keleş, Cuma Ali Genç and Mahmut Deniz be penalized on charge of "killing or injuring more than one person with culpable negligence."

Announcing his opinion on civil servants Bayram Aydın, Cihan Ünsal, Davut Gökçeli, Mehmet Aktaş and Ramazan Arı as well as fire brigade officers, the prosecutor requested their penalization for "misconduct in office through negligence." The prosecutor demanded that defendants Mehmet İpek and Zeki Yılmaz be acquitted. (AÖ/SD)