Families of hotel fire victims insulted: Investigation launched

The footage, which caused public outrage, shows families of those who lost their lives in the hotel fire being called and subjected to insults and profanity. It has been learned that the Cyber Crimes Department has subsequently launched an investigation.

In the footage shared by a social media user named 'Burak Uluhan', it is seen that families who lost their loved ones in the Kartalkaya hotel fire tragedy are being called and mocked. 

The shared video shows that the phone numbers of the grieving families were obtained and that they were subjected to profanity and insults regarding their lost loved ones. 

It is alleged that the individuals reached the relatives of those who lost their lives in the hotel fire tragedy using a 'panel system' that has recently come to the fore due to data leaks.

In the video, the individuals start the conversation by telling the grieving families that they were "friends" of the deceased, and then proceed to use unspeakable profanity and insults against the victims.

In the videos, where the families are seen struggling to speak, the individuals mocking them can be heard laughing. 

Following this, many people on social media tagged the police and relevant ministries to report the incident. 

INVESTIGATION LAUNCHED

Aslan Değirmenci, Digital Media Coordinator for the Presidency's Directorate of Communications, announced in a social media post that an investigation into the footage in question has been initiated. 

Değirmenci wrote the following: 

“A comprehensive investigation into the matter has been launched by the Ministry of Interior's Cyber Crimes Department. The Ministry of Justice is also closely monitoring the situation.”

In a second post, Değirmenci stated, “It has been reported that the calls were made via the Skype application, the URL addresses of the individuals have been identified, comprehensive information regarding the channel they established on Telegram has been obtained, and national and international efforts are underway to fully identify all administrators and members of the channel in question.” 

STATEMENT ON INVESTIGATION FROM THE CHIEF PUBLIC PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office also announced that it has launched an investigation into the matter. Following the Ministry of Interior, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office initiated an ex officio investigation and issued instructions to the Cyber Crimes Combat units.

Accordingly, an investigation has been launched against the suspects for the crimes of "unlawful acquisition of personal data," "insulting the memory of a deceased person," and "inciting the public to hatred and hostility."

INVESTIGATION LAUNCHED

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has launched an investigation into suspects who obtained the phone numbers of citizens who lost their relatives in the hotel fire in Bolu and proceeded to mock them.

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has initiated an ex officio investigation into the suspects who contacted and mocked the families of those who lost their lives in the Bolu hotel fire, on charges of 'unlawfully obtaining personal data,' 'insulting the memory of a deceased person,' and 'inciting the public to hatred and hostility.'

As part of the investigation, instructions were issued to the Istanbul Police Department's Cyber Crimes Investigation Branch to identify the individuals involved.

STATEMENT FROM YILMAZ TUNÇ

Minister of Justice Yılmaz Tunç stated, "An ex officio investigation has been launched by the Istanbul and Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Offices regarding the allegations that the families of our citizens who lost their lives in the hotel fire in Bolu Kartalkaya were called and subjected to ugly and immoral remarks."