Verdict Announced in Soma Trial, Families Protest

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Verdict has been announced in the trial in which 301 miners lost their lives in an occupational homicide on March 13, 2014 in Soma, Manisa.

Headed by Salih Pehlivanoğlu, the court committee sentenced Soma Kömür İşletmeleri A.Ş. Board Chair Can Gürkan to 15 years in prison on charge of "reckless killing" and forbid him from mining business for three years. The court also ruled for the continuation of his arrest.

Of defendants pending trial in jail Soma Kömür İşletmeleri A.Ş. General Director Ramazan Doğru and Mining Engineer and Deputy Operating Manager İsmail Adalı were sentenced to 22 years and 6 months in prison on charge of "reckless killing and injuring".

The court ruled for the continuation of arrest of all five defendants who are pending trial in jail.

Protest by the families

After the court announced its verdict, some of miner families’ health worsened. The court committee left the courtroom upon families denouncing the decision.

Addressing that the penalties were imposed over "recklessness", lawyers of the complainants said, "The decision belongs to your committee, we side with with families" and went to the area of the families. (TP/TK)