In the legal case of the fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu Kartalkaya ski resort, northwestern Türkiye, 32 defendants, including the hotel owner and municipal officials, have appeared before the court, with 19 of them in custody.
The hearing, conducted on Monday by the Bolu 1st High Criminal Court, took place in a specially prepared hall inside the sports hall of Bolu Social Sciences High School. The session was attended by both detained and non-detained defendants, those injured in the fire, relatives of the deceased and lawyers representing the parties.
Extensive security measures were implemented by law enforcement inside and around the hall, and the streets and avenues surrounding the campus were closed to vehicle traffic.
Participants in the hearing were admitted to the hall after security checks at two separate points.
The hearing commenced under the supervision of the Audio and Visual Information System (SEGBIS), which recorded the proceedings.
Shortly after the defendants were brought into the hall, one plaintiff fainted. Medical personnel intervened, and the individual was subsequently taken out of the hall with accompanying emergency teams for treatment.
Among the attendees were prominent figures, including Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chair Özgür Özel, Democrat Party (DP) Chair Gültekin Uysal, Zafer Party Chair Ümit Özdağ, Key Party (AP) Chair Yavuz Ağıralioğlu, the head of the parliamentary investigation commission for the Kartalkaya Ski Resort Hotel Fire and Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Erzurum deputy Selami Altınok, other commission members, AK Party Deputy Chair Ali Ihsan Yavuz, members of Parliament and representatives from various political parties.
Relatives of the victims of the fire made a statement ahead of the first hearing of the trial, where 32 defendants, including the hotel owner and municipal officials, are being tried.
Families gathered at the sports hall of Bolu Social Sciences High School, a location especially arranged for them to follow the trial.
Zeynep Kotan, the mother of Ömür Kotan, who lost her life in the fire, made a statement on behalf of the families, describing the fire as “a massacre that happened right before our eyes.”
She emphasized: “This is not negligence; this is murder. The Grand Kartal Hotel is one of the largest and most well-known hotels in Kartalkaya. The owners and managers knew this building like the back of their hands. They were aware of the fire risks, safety gaps, insufficient fire extinguishers, the absence of fire escapes, and the systems that had not been maintained for years.”
Kotan continued, stating that despite this knowledge, no precautions were taken: “Unfortunately, even during the fire, the hotel owners, managers and staff did nothing. They did not give any warning, nor did any alarm system activate. The guests were not woken with even a single word or sign. While they were going to save their cars, our loved ones were suffocating inside from the smoke. While our loved ones were choosing between death and death, the hotel owners had already moved to the opposite hotel, eating their fruits. What kind of indifference is this? What kind of lack of compassion? What kind of heartlessness?”
She revealed that they were aware of an inspection report prepared a month before the incident that exposed the lack of fire precautions at the hotel, but it was withdrawn by the hotel owners due to cost concerns. Kotan added: “We know about the officials who turned a blind eye to this negligence, the fact that the fire started earlier than reported, the special rescue operation conducted for privileged guests during the fire, and that the hotel managers and staff escaped. The expert report clearly states that the golden time was used not to save lives but to rescue the hotel owners’ cars. We also know about the evidence that was hidden and the deleted security camera footage.”
Kotan stressed that they expect the trial process to be conducted with transparency and that all truths come to light, stating: “We demand that everyone responsible for this massacre, every institution, be held accountable. In addition to those sitting on the defendant’s bench today, we expect permission for investigations against public officials who failed to perform their duties.”
According to the 98-page indictment prepared by the Bolu Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and accepted by the 1st High Criminal Court, severe penalties of up to 1,998 years imprisonment are sought against hotel owners, company board members, and managers as well as Bolu Deputy Mayor Sedat Gülener, acting Fire Chief Kenan Coşkun and firefighter Irfan Acar, charged with 78 counts of “intentional killing with probable cause” and “intentional injury with probable cause.”
Additionally, the hotel’s technical staff, kitchen personnel, occupational safety specialists, receptionist, representatives from Mudurnu Energy Industry and Trade Joint Stock Company, representatives and employees from FQC Global Certification Joint Stock Company, LPG installation maintenance workers, the deputy general secretary and inspection manager of İl Özel İdaresi Licensing, and the former İl Özel İdaresi licensing and inspection manager face charges of “causing multiple deaths and injuries by conscious negligence,” with imprisonment terms of up to 22 years and six months sought.
On Jan. 21, a fire broke out at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu Kartalkaya Ski Resort, resulting in 78 deaths and injuring 133 people.
