Verdict announced in Furkan Apartment trial: 3 defendants acquitted

The trial of 6 defendants—4 of whom were tried without arrest and 2 of whom are fugitives—regarding the Furkan Apartment in the Mimar Sinan neighborhood of Gaziantep's Nizip district, where 51 people lost their lives, continued with each facing up to 22 years and 6 months in prison. Strict security measures were taken around the Nizip Courthouse before the hearing.

According to the report by Mehmet Oflaz from ANKA; families who lost their loved ones in the Furkan Apartment and their lawyers were present at the hearing held at the Nizip High Criminal Court. While defendant Eyüp Öğüt, who was tried without arrest, attended the hearing, the other defendants Faik Öğüt, Nejdet Alpay, and Yılmaz Şahin Yurtyapan, as well as the fugitive contractor defendants Abdullah Devrim Sever and Hasan Hüseyin Sever, did not attend. Members of parliament from the CHP and EMEP also followed the hearing.

PROSECUTOR ANNOUNCED THEIR OPINION

At the hearing, the public prosecutor first announced their opinion. The prosecutor requested the maximum sentence for three of the four defendants tried without arrest—Faik Öğüt, Eyüp Öğüt, and Yılmaz Şahin Yurtyapan—for the crime of "causing death by conscious negligence," and requested the acquittal of Nejdet Alpay.

'IF YOU SAY JUSTICE IS THE FOUNDATION OF THE STATE...'

Following the prosecutor's opinion, the families of those who lost their loved ones were given the floor. The complainants stated, "The defendants should be tried for probable intent, and public officials should also be put on trial." Elif Buse Kaplan, who lost her family in the rubble, said, "If cutting columns in an earthquake-prone country, building apartments on mezzanine floors, and connecting electricity, water, and natural gas to these is not knowingly causing death, then what is? This is clear intent. I will leave here and go to my family's grave; I want to tell them, 'Your child, your sister defended your rights to the end, justice has been served, sleep peacefully'... You say 'Justice is the foundation of the state,' but if there is no foundation, there is neither a state nor justice. Make justice our foundation," she said.

The lawyers for the complainants also stated that they did not agree with the prosecutor's opinion. They demanded that the defendants be tried for the crime of probable intent.

Prosecutor announced that investigation permission was granted regarding "public officials"

Upon the families expressing their demands regarding the trial of public officials, the public prosecutor announced that permission for an investigation had been granted regarding the public officials related to the Furkan Apartment, that the public officials had appealed the decision, and that the process was ongoing.

DEMAND TO CHANGE THE HEARING VENUE AND PANEL

Defendant Eyüp Öğüt repeated his statements from the previous hearing. Öğüt said, "I definitely did not cut any columns, I did not make any renovations, I do not have a 1+1 apartment." The other defendants were defended by their lawyers.

Defendant Yılmaz Şahin Yurtyapan's lawyer, Yaşar Sağlam, claimed that the case had become a political one due to the families' struggle for justice being covered in the press. Lawyer Sağlam said, "The defendants in this case are under pressure. I want this case to be assigned to another city and heard by a different panel. My client is 70 years old and has health problems. If my client goes to prison, they will be burying him alive while he is innocent," he said. Yaşar Sağlam was the IYI Party candidate for Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Mayor in the March 31, 2024 local elections.

Another defendant's lawyer also stated that his client had previously lost 25 kilos in prison.

HEARING ADJOURNED

The court panel asked defendant Eyüp Öğüt for his final statement. Öğüt said, "I want to be cleared. I am not guilty." The panel announced that the verdict would be announced at 15:00 and adjourned the hearing.

VERDICT ANNOUNCED

After the break, the court panel announced its verdict at 15:50. The court acquitted defendants Faik Öğüt, Eyüp Öğüt, and Nejdet Alpay, and sentenced Yılmaz Şahin Yurtyapan to 16 years and 8 months in prison. The files of fugitive defendants Abdullah Devrim Sever and Hasan Hüseyin Sever were separated.

Following the verdict, the families who lost their loved ones in the Furkan Apartment reacted to the decision in front of the courthouse.

News Source: 12punto