It had become a grave for 78 people: Özgür Özel spoke out in front of the Grand Kartal Hotel

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel attended a memorial service held for those who lost their lives in the fire at the Bolu Grand Kartal Hotel.

Making assessments, Özel “We experienced a tragedy and lost 78 of our lives. We were here with you hours after the incident. Since then, we have been trying to follow up on the state's promise to uncover the responsibilities of the Kartalkaya tragedy in all its aspects and to ensure that those responsible are held accountable during our weekly group meetings,” he said.

Özgür Özel noted the following in his statements:

“You know, when this incident happened that day, I stated right here, ‘Now is the time for grief, the time for mourning, not the time for politics, but those responsible will certainly be held accountable. We will be the closest followers of that.’ In the lobby of a hotel nearby, the Minister of Interior had said that he had a very strong and very fast team consisting of civil inspectors and that the responsibilities and those responsible would be revealed in all aspects within 10 days at the latest. We told him that we would follow this process carefully. Of course, those who spoke responsibly that day—I am referring to the Minister of Interior—did not speak on this matter again. And then there were those who spoke irresponsibly that day.

The Minister of Tourism had both said something in front of the press that day and tried to make his own responsibility disappear, attempting to blame innocent people for a job they did in such places that were left outside their supervision and areas of responsibility, and trying to target them. I reacted very harshly to this approach on the first day, and we have followed the process very closely since then. After all, the Republic of Turkey is a state. If there is a mistake or a crime here, the state investigates it. It did so; the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the prosecutors, and those prosecutors appointed an expert committee consisting of seven people. An expert committee that is perfectly suited to the issue by profession. You all know it closely. They gave a letter to that expert committee. ‘Complete your work within three days. Give us your report within three days.’ Because according to that, he would conduct an interrogation at the end of the four-day detention period. He would refer them for arrest or release them. But the state would hold them accountable according to that. These experts worked day and night. They wrote their reports. They came and took their reports to deliver them, but it was known at that time that there was pressure from Ankara to here. We were already following this carefully. This is what emerged there: ‘You cannot submit this report like this.’ I said this on the first day. I announced it while that report was still being attempted to be delivered. ‘I cannot accept this report like this.

Three options. One, you will delete the Ministry of Tourism. Two, you will add the Bolu Municipality here. Or you will request your dismissal from duty.’ They have all the legal regulations in their hands, everything, and the people who should know this business best on behalf of this state say, ‘This place is not in the municipality's area of responsibility.’ The Bolu Municipality had given a license here in the past, but that was years ago. Since then, it has no responsibility to come and conduct inspections again.”

If you are already politicizing the issue, you are applying such pressure, but this municipality was under the AK Party years ago; it never came here. It didn't come afterwards either. It won't come, because it is outside its area of responsibility. But the Minister of Tourism, who should have come here, will come, look, and say, 'Go and bring a report about the fire.' He wrote about the disabled restroom, but he didn't write about the fire. 'Where should I hold this person responsible and make it someone irresponsible?' This would not be right. They tried to make those experts commit a crime against their professional honor. Seven experts were assigned for three days, three days ago. I shared this with you as well. In a highly suspicious manner, they say, 'I cannot accept the task due to my workload.' They worked here day and night for three days. All of them requested to be relieved of their duties; they did not sign what they were told to sign. When we exposed this, they first called the expert a 'pirate,' and I gave the assignment number they had issued. They were not ashamed, they did not apologize. This time, I provided the photograph the experts had taken. That didn't work, so we released the assignment letter. Finally, we shared their dismissal letters as well. Now, there is a Minister of Justice who remains silent as if nothing happened, a Minister of Interior, and a Minister of Tourism who still retains his position.

'SOMEONE WHO IS CLEARLY GUILTY IS STILL IN OFFICE'

Because the system governing the country has another responsibility everywhere, because they have brought the country to this state, in this age, fires happen in every country, but in which one do 78 people burn to death here? Tiny babies burning to death... 300 people die in a mine, 28 people die at once. A child is forgotten in a school bus and dies. A country of strange deaths. Things that consciences cannot bear. Do people who go for electrical repairs die in the middle of a lake, friends? When these people die, the fire burns where it falls. But unfortunately, unfortunately, those who govern this country... Through this businessman, through that person... Through the general manager who has responsibility... Because they are all connected to each other, so that the system does not question itself and so that the matter does not unravel all the way to the very top, they can still keep someone who is so clearly guilty in office. They are still not holding anyone accountable."

'WE ARE HERE AGAIN'

“We are here again today, on the second day of Ramadan, on the 40th day of the tragedy, to both offer our prayers, commemorate those who died, and once again voice their demand for justice from here, the place where the incident occurred. We will visit the cemeteries. Afterward, we have an iftar program. We will attend that. Simultaneously, a mawlid is being recited at the mosque. We have Christian citizens here. Today, with the participation of our friends, their worship is being performed and their prayers are being recited in their homes according to their own religion. On the first day, 40 candles were burning inside us; each one went out, but today that one candle will continue to burn in all of our hearts. Do not extinguish that candle, friends. That candle is the conscience within you. Those who do not have a candle burning inside them when such things happen, those who do not feel pain, have brought this country to this state. Therefore, without forgetting our anger or our pain, we must take over the administration of this country from those who do not hold these people accountable and demand these accounts, so that the hearts of mothers, fathers, spouses, and children are not burned again by such simple deaths—the deaths of this country's children, laborers, miners, people staying in hotels, those traveling on high-speed trains, those whose homes are flooded while on vacation in a rented house, those buried under millions of cubic meters of soil in a mine just so the boss can make more money... Unfortunately and unfortunately, it has become a country of such great indifference, such great lack of emotion, and such great shamelessness. What can I say to the President who still keeps that minister in office? What can I say?"