Soma Occupational Homicide Case: Company Board Chair Gürkan Released
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The appeals against the verdict in the case of the 2014 Soma occupational homicide which claimed the lives of 301 mine workers have been concluded by the 14th Penal Chamber of the İzmir Regional Court of Justice.
While the court has upheld the prison sentences between 15 and 22.5 years for five defendants, it ruled that Can Gürkan, the board chair of the Soma Coal Operations Inc., shall be released with an international travel ban.
It ruled for the continuation of the arrests of general director Ramazan Doğru, business director Akın Çelik, technical manager İsmail Adalı, and technical supervisor Ertan Ersoy.
The Chamber also upheld the verdicts of acquittal for 37 defendants and of judicial control for nine defendants being tried without arrest.
"Period of arrest would be longer than prison term"
Can Gürkan was released because otherwise, the period he spent behind bars would be longer than his prison term due to the time that will pass until the announcement of the reasoned decision and the appeal requests and the examination of the case at the Supreme Court of Appeals, the court said in the ruling.
What happened?On May 13, 2014, an explosion led to an underground fire in the Eynez coal mine in the Soma district in the western province Soma. 301 mine workers lost their lives in the incident. The trial of the occupational homicide began on April 13, 2015, and concluded on July 11, 2018. Headed by Salih Pehlivanoğlu, the court committee sentenced Soma Kömür İşletmeleri A.Ş. Board Chair Can Gürkan to 15 years in prison on the 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 the charge of "reckless killing and injuring". The court ruled for the continuation of arrest of all five defendants who are pending trial in jail. 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 families" and went to the area of the families. |
(TP/VK)