Trial of Dorm Fire Killing 11 Children, 1 Dorm Staff Adjourned, Suspects Remain in Detention
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The third hearing in the trial of the fire in the girls' dorm in Aladağ district of Adana in which 12 people 11 of whom were children, had been killed, was held today (October 10).
Six suspects are standing trial in the case and are facing up to 15 years in prison each.
In today's hearing, the medical reports of the children were presented to the court. The reports state that the injured children had to get 10 hours of oxygen treatment and had wounds which would not heal with some simple treatment.
The court has once again rejected the Turkey Bar Association's request to be a party in the trial.
In the hearing held before Kozan Heavy Criminal Court, the suspects in their statement of defence, stated that they were not guilty and requested to be released.
The court ruled that the suspects remain in detention on remand and adjourned the hearing to December 11.
What happened?
On November 29, 2016 a fire broke out at Özel Aladağ Tahsil Çağındaki Talebelere Yardım Derneği Ortaöğretim Kız Öğrenci Yurdu, a girl student dorm, in the evening hours in Adana province.
11 children namely and one dorm staff namely, Sare Betül Genç, Fatma Canatan, Semanur Aydoğdu, Gamze Bagir, Bahtınur Baş, Nurgül Pertlek, Tuğba Aydoğdu, Sümeyye Yetim, Cennet Karataş, Sevim Köylü, İlknur Maden, Zeliha Avcı, lost their lives in the fire. 22 students who jumped off the window and were affected by the smoke were taken into hospitals.
A gag order was issued on the incident towards morning.
An investigation was launched by Kozan Public Chief Prosecutor's Office into the reasons causing the fire. Those responsible for the breakout of fire were charged with "causing death by negligence". Detention order was issued for 14 people including the dorm director C.G.
On December 4, 2016, dorm director Cumali Genç, director of Aladağ Aid Association for Course Students and Pupils İsmail Uğur and four administrators of the dorm Ramazan Keleş, Ramazan Dede, Mustafa Öztaş, Mahir Kılınç were arrested.
On January 22, 2016, Keleş, Dede, Öztaş and Kılınç were released after their attorneys challenged the decision on the grounds that the expert report said that the respective administrators were only secondary suspects.
On February 6, 2017, Adana Bar Association Union President Attorney Veli Küçük announced that the four association administrators who were first arrested and later released, had been arrested again.
On May 30, 2017, the first hearing in the trial was held. There were seven suspects in detention on remand.
After the release of the suspect Ramazan Dede, there are six suspects in detention on remand.
Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) MP Hüda Kaya who was a member of the Parliamentary Committee to Investigate the Dorm Fire, talking to bianet, had said that there was an attempt to protect those officially accountable for the incident by shifting the blame on the victims.
Education Union Adana Region President Ahmet Karagöz underlined that the children who lost their lives in the dorm fire was not at an eligible age to stay at that dorm and that police had prevented them from obtaining information when they went to the incident scene for further examination.(YY/DG)