Can Atalay's post on Kartalkaya: 'It is a social murder, just like in Soma and Çorlu'

Can Atalay, a Gezi Park trial convict who was elected as a member of parliament but remains in prison despite a Constitutional Court ruling, has issued a statement regarding the fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel in the Bolu Kartalkaya Ski Center. Atalay described the hotel fire, which became a grave for 78 people, as a "social murder." 

Atalay's message and post, in which he poses questions regarding the disaster, are as follows:

"Social murder is the name we give to deaths that occur due to the incomplete and/or poor performance of public services or public oversight, justified by privatization or other market-compliance reasons. In other words, if we say that an event resulting in death could have been prevented by establishing proper planning and oversight mechanisms, its name is social murder.

The disaster in Bolu Kartalkaya is a social murder, just like what we experienced in Soma, Ermenek, Aladağ, Çorlu, Hendek, Pamukova, Amasra, and İliç. While each of these massacres we have listed has its own specific circumstances, their common denominator is that they are the results of a mentality where unbridled capital, with public encouragement, operates completely uncontrolled, without oversight, and most importantly, views human life entirely as a source of income or a cost item.

Now, let us ask specifically about Kartalkaya:

Was the hotel granted a license based on the Tourism Encouragement Law, and when was it granted? According to some information in the media, it is said that a capacity increase was granted in 1997. Who reviewed the architectural and static projects during this capacity increase?

Ultimately, who issued the building permit? During this capacity increase, was any assessment made regarding the fire load of the building and whether fire safety measures were taken?

Has the 'fire department approval' document, which is said to be dated 2007, been identified? Until the document issued by the Bolu Municipality Fire Department upon a request in 2024, which institutions conducted fire inspections, and how many times?

According to the Minister's statement, inspections were conducted in 2021 and 2024. Well, did these two inspections not include fire safety? What was determined in these two inspections?

'IT IS A DIRECT RESULT OF THE LACK OF POLICY'

Do we not see the consequences of fragmenting public services and the integrity of law enforcement services?

The Tourism Encouragement Law of 1984 is the first example of the fragmentation of planning. A 12-story building is constructed at an altitude of 2200 meters, but there is not the slightest unit with a public health function, no fire department, and the nearest fire station is 40 km away! Does it take the death of 78 citizens to get fire safety measures taken by the tourism monster that plunders all natural protected areas just to bring foreign currency into the country?

Article 123 of the Constitution defines the administration as a whole. Citizens see the state as a monolithic entity. In that case, how can administrative authorities like ministries try to escape this responsibility?

How can it be possible to inspect the fire safety of a building and its sub-sections (such as a cafeteria) separately? Does this not show that fire inspection must be handled with a holistic approach?

Protecting the life safety of citizens against the laxity of laws and regulations is the fundamental duty of public institutions. It is mandatory that inspections be carried out with a holistic approach that prioritizes the life safety of citizens. In this direction, laws and regulations must be urgently reorganized. Otherwise, social murders cannot be prevented, and the greed for profit will continue to endanger human life.

I wish condolences and patience to the relatives of our citizens who lost their lives in Kartalkaya. Whoever says 'let's not politicize the issue' in every massacre we experience intends to escape political and legal responsibility. Because what we are experiencing is a direct result of the lack of policy.

There was a saying we used in previous massacres: 'May this be the last, may our hearts wither if we forget.' Unfortunately, neither were they the last, nor did the hearts of those who forgot wither. But we will continue to fight against this broken order, this order of social murder."