A Turkish court has sentenced the owner and architect of a hotel that collapsed during the February 2023 earthquake, resulting in the deaths of 72 individuals, to substantial prison terms.
Ahmet Bozkurt, the proprietor of the Isias Grand hotel, and architect Erdem Yilmaz were both handed 18 years and five months behind bars. Bozkurt’s son, Mehmet Fatih, received a sentence of 17 years and four months. The hotel, located in the southeastern city of Adiyaman, was accommodating a school volleyball team from Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus and a group of tourist guides at the time of the quake.
The court found the three defendants guilty of “causing the death or injury of more than one person through conscious negligence”.
Responses to the sentencing revealed discontent among officials, with Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Unal Ustel expressing that the punishments were too lenient and indicating plans to appeal the court’s decision. He stated, “Hotel owners did not receive the punishment we had expected.” Nonetheless, he acknowledged the accountability of the individuals involved in the hotel’s construction.
The devastating earthquake resulted in over 50,000 fatalities across Turkey and Syria, with 160,000 buildings either collapsing or sustaining significant damage, leaving approximately 1.5 million people without homes. Following the disaster, the Turkish government announced ongoing investigations involving hundreds of people, including construction contractors and property owners, with nearly 200 arrests made.
Among the victims was a group of 39 individuals from Famagusta Turkish Education College, including students, teachers, and parents, who traveled to Adiyaman for a volleyball tournament. Tragically, only four parents survived after managing to escape the rubble, while 35 people, including all the children, lost their lives.
The Isias Grand, which had been in operation since 2001, was recognized as one of Adiyaman’s leading hotels but crumbled within minutes during the quake. Investigations revealed that the building’s supporting columns were constructed with a mix of gravel and sand from a nearby river, raising serious concerns about construction practices.
The scale of the building collapses during the earthquake has drawn widespread criticism towards the Turkish government for its failure to enforce building regulations, despite stricter rules being established following previous disasters.
