President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan answered questions about the agenda from Presidential Palace last evening.
Erdoğan remarked about the criticisms of European Union (EU) and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) related to freedom of expression and election campaigns in Turkey:
“Those guys sent from EU and OSCE; they are all prejudiced persons. These prejudices won’t work in our country, hopefully.”
“There is a leakage, maybe”
The President talked about the trustee who was appointed to Koza İpek Holding’s media organs on October 27:
“I desire Turkish judgement will decide it fairly. The judgment already knows what should be done.”
Erdoğan continued:
“It is a juridical process. I believe the jurisdiction will do what is necessary but why was a trustee appointed? We should think about it. They said there was no irregularity within their corporations. Why do they escape from the law, then? There is a leakage, maybe.”
“We told them to stop broadcasting, they didn’t”
President Erdoğan criticized the recent broadcasting policy of the media:
“They have never been honest. Their bosses, editor-in-chiefs and managers had been meeting me. Why did they give up the communication, after? They weren’t sensitive at all.
“When I called and told them to stop broadcasting, they didn’t. They only cared about getting the rating and even they broadcasted for the good of terrorist leaders. The aim of media should be broadcasting the truth, but it was not. Our nation and country paid a heavy price because of them.”
Northern Iraq and Northern Syria
Erdoğan added the military operations would continue:
“Democratic Union Party (PYD) wanted to cross the Euphrates River in eastern Turkey. Our military and their air operations didn’t let them. It is a warning. They should tidy themselves up. Turkey doesn’t need any permission and we should do anything that is needed. We don’t desire the same thing in Northern Syria like it happened in Northern Iraq.” (AS/BD)
'No alarms, no sprinklers': Ski resort fire death toll rises to 76 amid negligence suspicions
Nine people have been taken into custody in connection with the incident, including the owner of the hotel, which reportedly lacked proper fire escape and suppression systems.
The death toll from the fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu's Kartalkaya ski resort has climbed to 76, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced late Monday. Dozens were also injured, with one person remaining in intensive care.
Speaking from Bolu alongside other ministers, Yerlikaya stated that the identities of 52 victims have been confirmed and 45 bodies have been handed over to their families. The fire was reported at 3.27 am yesterday, with 238 guests staying at the hotel at the time.
The cause of the fire remains unknown, but Yerlikaya noted that the hotel's wooden structure and its location against a hillside made firefighting efforts challenging. "The fire has been extinguished, cooling operations have been completed, and search-and-rescue activities have concluded," he said.
Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç confirmed that nine individuals, including the hotel owner, had been detained in connection with the fire. While the cause of the fire is yet to be determined, visuals from the hotel and survivors' accounts indicate inadequate fire safety measures. Witnesses and survivors in interviews with various media outlets reported that no alarm was heard during the fire.
Meanwhile, flags were lowered to half-mast across Turkey due to a one-day national morning.
Temporary morgue sparks outrage
Due to the city morgues reaching full capacity, a refrigerated truck from a poultry company was stationed in front of Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal Training and Research Hospital. The truck's advertising visuals sparked public outrage, prompting authorities to cover the vehicle with tarpaulins.
Broadcast ban lifted
The broadcast ban imposed by the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) based on a court ruling was lifted this morning, the regulatory body's head has announced.
The ban, which went into effect yesterday, restricted broadcast media from airing certain footage of the incident, witness testimonies, and speculative content about the fire, largely limiting the coverage to official statements. RTÜK had warned that "severe sanctions" would be imposed on outlets that failed to comply with the restrictions.
This morning, RTÜK Chairperson Ebubekir Şahin announced on social media that the ban had been lifted, expressing gratitude to media organizations that adhered to the restrictions.
Eyewitness accounts and safety concerns
The fire, which broke out around 3.30 am, quickly engulfed much of the 12-story building, parts of which were below ground. Witnesses claimed that the building lacked a proper fire escape and that alarms and sprinklers failed to function. Videos from the scene showed some guests on lower floors tying bedsheets together to escape.
Yerlikaya pledged a thorough investigation into the incident. "All questions related to this tragedy will be answered. As a state of law, we will ensure that everything necessary is done. The judicial investigation and prosecution process will be carried out meticulously," he said.
Hotel and government responses
In a written statement, the Grand Kartal Hotel said it was fully cooperating with authorities to uncover the cause of the fire. However, the statement did not address allegations of inadequate fire safety measures. The hotel added that some of the owners’ family members were present at the hotel during the fire, saying, "We share this grief with all our hearts."
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared a national day of mourning for Jan 22, with flags across Turkey and at foreign missions to be flown at half-mast.
Allegations of negligence
Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy stated that the hotel had fire safety certifications and was inspected in 2021 and 2024. However, the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) raised concerns about the lack of an automatic sprinkler system, which they argued contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.
"The hotel's website photos show that the mandatory sprinkler system, required since 2008, was not installed," TMMOB said in a statement. "The absence of this system allowed the fire to spread quickly, leading to significant loss of life."
The statement also noted that other safety measures, such as detection and warning systems, escape routes, and emergency cabinets required under current regulations, may not have been properly implemented. "Accounts from survivors suggest that detection and warning systems failed, and escape routes were not identifiable," TMMOB added.
Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan commented that the Kartalkaya area was designated a tourism zone by the ministry, placing it outside the municipality's jurisdiction. He added that the responsibility for inspections fell to the ministry.
Interior Minister Yerlikaya said whether the ministry or the municipality is responsible for the inspections will be determined within 10 days. (VK)
A delegation from the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) traveled to İmralı Island today for their second meeting with Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militant group.
The first meeting took place on Dec 28, when DEM deputies Sırrı Süreyya Önder and Pervin Buldan met with Öcalan at İmralı Prison. Ahmet Türk, the former co-mayor of Mardin who was replaced by a government-appointed trustee, joined the delegation for today's meeting.
No statement has yet been released regarding the content and details of today's planned meeting.
Background
Since October, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli, a key ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has initiated Kurdish outreach efforts and suggested that Öcalan, who has been imprisoned since 1999, join the process. During his party's group meeting on Nov 26, Bahçeli said, "We expect face-to-face contact to be established between İmralı and the DEM group."
DEM Party Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan responded to Bahçeli's call, saying "As co-chairs, we want to contribute to this country's peace by meeting with Mr. Öcalan."
The same day, the DEM Party submitted an application to the Justice Ministry requesting a meeting with Öcalan. One month later, the ministry approved DEM Party's request, and Pervin Buldan and Sırrı Süreyya Önder met with Öcalan on İmralı Island on Dec 28.
According to Buldan and Önder, during the meeting, Öcalan presented a seven-point declaration containing "assessments aimed at finding a permanent solution to the Kurdish issue."
Subsequently, Önder, Buldan, and the newly added member Ahmet Türk began meeting with political parties. To date, the delegation has met with the MHP, Future Party, AKP, Felicity Party, CHP, YRP, and several other parties. (VK)