Trial for Palmiye Sitesi, which became a tomb for 150 people on February 6, begins tomorrow: We will ask how they killed our families

In the February 6 earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş, all 3 blocks of the Palmiye Sitesi in the Şehit Abdullah Çavuş neighborhood of Kahramanmaraş's Onikişubat district collapsed. A total of 150 people lost their lives and 16 people were injured in these buildings. In the indictment, the Kahramanmaraş Chief Public Prosecutor's Office requested prison sentences ranging from two to 15 years for contractors Hacı Mehmet Ersoy and Ali Babaoğlu, and geological engineer Ömer Tarakçıoğlu, on charges of 'causing death and injury by conscious negligence.' As part of the investigation, Ersoy and Tarakçıoğlu were released under "judicial control" following their statements, while Babaoğlu was arrested after being caught following an 18-month period as a fugitive.

150 PEOPLE LOST THEIR LIVES

The first hearing of the Palmiye Sitesi trial, which became a tomb for 150 people in the earthquake, will be held tomorrow at the Kahramanmaraş 3rd High Criminal Court. Before the hearing, İrem Türkmener Karslı, who lost her mother, father, and sibling at the Palmiye Sitesi; Kaan Demirören, who lost his mother, father, sibling, and relatives and was rescued with injuries; Murat Güçlü, who lost his mother, father, grandmother, mother-in-law, and nephew; and Halit Ali Şirikci, who lost his mother, father, sister, and relatives, spoke to the ANKA News Agency.

İrem Türkmener Karslı said, "All the defendants will be in court tomorrow. We have been waiting for this day for 19 months. For 19 months, we have been waiting to look those defendants in the eye and ask them how they killed our families. We had one fugitive defendant who was caught in recent weeks thanks to our conscientious journalists. The contractor named Ali Babaoğlu claimed he had been vacationing at his summer house for 18 months and alleged that his mental health was poor.

'WE ARE THE ONES LEFT BEHIND, ROTTING ABOVE GROUND WHILE OUR LOVED ONES ROT UNDERGROUND'

We are the ones left behind, rotting above ground while our loved ones have been rotting underground for 18 months. But our killers, our defendants, have not only continued their lives where they left off, they have continued to enjoy themselves. This is not acceptable. We want all these defendants to be tried for 'probable intent' and for the judicial process to proceed quickly," she said.

Karslı also demanded that authorization be granted for investigations into public officials, stating, "What does 19 months mean? They have kept us waiting for 19 months. There were no detainees in a file that had a fugitive for 19 months. I hope there will be detainees after this hearing. We want them all to be tried while in custody. Public officials have a huge responsibility in this file. Because they approved a project that should not have existed. We want authorization for investigations into public officials to be granted as soon as possible and for them to be brought to justice. We want the process to move quickly. Because we are exhausted. We are truly exhausted. We do not want to watch the killers continue to live their lives to the fullest. I hope there will be a fair trial. I hope justice is finally served. Justice delayed is not justice," she said.

Stating, "I want the new judicial year to bring true justice to all of us," Karslı continued her speech as follows:

'WE WANT THE KILLERS TO BE TRIED WHILE IN CUSTODY'

"Especially in earthquake cases, I want all fugitive defendants to be caught, and for red notices to be issued if necessary. They should all be tried for 'probable intent.' They all stole from materials, cut columns, and built buildings contrary to the projects in cities they knew were in an earthquake zone... The age of our families was not considered. The elderly, the young, children, babies, they all lost their lives in that rubble. We want the killers to be tried while in custody, regardless of their age."

Kaan Demirören, who lost his family in the Palmiye Sitesi rubble and was rescued with injuries, said, "The concrete pieces we held with a crane poured down like a pile of sand. Days later, we reached the bodies of my mother, father, and sibling. I want all those responsible who caused the loss of 150 lives and the injury of 16 people, and who made us experience this, to receive the heaviest punishment in this world. I want justice to be served," he said.

'WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT FOR 19 MONTHS'

Murat Güçlü stated that the Palmiye Sitesi had turned into a pile of sand and said, "The contractor here was caught and arrested about 1 week ago. He will appear before the judge tomorrow. I am calling out to the judges and prosecutors here. I demand that Ali Babaoğlu be tried in the harshest way possible. Our hearts have been burning for 19 months, we have been waiting for this moment for 19 months," he said.

Halit Ali Şirikci spoke as follows:

"We could not reach my mother's body for 15 months. At the end of those 15 months, we found her through a DNA match. The contractor Ali Babaoğlu has been caught. He is being tried for 'causing death by conscious negligence,' I want him to be tried for 'intentional killing.' The expert report stated that there were errors both in the licensing phase and in the project. We also want the public officials who had signatures during the construction of the Palmiye Sitesi to be brought to justice."