Allegations of horrific negligence in Kahramanmaraş school attack

Furkan Mehmet Cinkara, the lawyer for the students who lost their lives or were injured in the armed attack at Ayser Çalık Secondary School in Kahramanmaraş on April 15, has filed a new criminal complaint regarding the evacuation and safety conditions of the school building.

The petition submitted to the Kahramanmaraş Chief Public Prosecutor's Office alleges that the school lacked a fire escape, a secondary escape route, and an evacuation plan compliant with regulations. Cinkara requested an investigation into how these deficiencies affected the difficulties encountered during the evacuation at the time of the attack.

In the attack carried out at Ayser Çalık Secondary School by the perpetrator, who was identified as an eighth-grade student at the school, teacher Ayla Kara and 9 students lost their lives, and 15 students were injured.

DEMAND FOR INVESTIGATION INTO EVACUATION VULNERABILITY

The criminal complaint requested an investigation into the individuals involved in the project design, construction, licensing, inspection, and opening of the school for education. The petition requested an assessment regarding the crimes of "causing death by negligence," "causing injury by negligence," and "misconduct in public office."

Cinkara requested that the architectural project, license, and building occupancy permit files of the school, the minutes of the temporary and final acceptance commissions, and the fire safety and compliance reports from the fire department be requested from the relevant institutions.

The petition also requested that an on-site inspection be conducted at the school by a committee of experts in building and construction techniques and fire safety, that camera recordings from inside and around the school on the day of the incident be examined, and that an assessment be made in conjunction with the evidence in the existing investigation file.

The application stated that the text believed to have been written by the perpetrator before the incident contained statements regarding the physical and administrative conditions of the school. Lawyer Cinkara argued that these points increase the importance of the allegations regarding the security and evacuation arrangements in the school building.

Cinkara requested that the impact of the alleged lack of a fire escape and secondary escape route—such as being trapped, congestion, stampedes, falls from heights, and evacuation delays—be examined separately for each victim and that an indictment be prepared against those found responsible.