Verdict reached in the Amasra mine disaster trial where 43 workers lost their lives! Miners' relatives outraged

The trial regarding the mine massacre in the Amasra district of Bartın, where 43 miners lost their lives, was held today.

The 12th hearing, held in a specially created courtroom at the Bartın Courthouse, was attended by detained and non-detained defendants, plaintiffs, relatives of those who lost their lives in the explosion, and lawyers for the parties.

During the hearing, the defense statements and declarations of the defendants and the lawyers for the defendants and plaintiffs were heard in response to the opinion presented by the prosecution in the previous session.

The presiding judge stated that the verdict would be announced and asked the defendants for their final words.

The defendants who were given the floor stated that they did not accept the accusations against them and did not agree with the prosecution's opinion, requesting their acquittal.

Defense lawyers, on the other hand, argued that it was understood from the witnesses' statements that there was no production pressure, and requested the release of the detained defendants and the acquittal of the non-detained defendants.

Concluding the case, the court panel sentenced the detained defendants: TTK Amasra Establishment Manager Cihat Özdemir to 16 years and 12 months, Establishment Manager Selçuk Ekmekci and Chief Operations Engineer Mehmet Tural to 16 years and 6 months each, and Occupational Safety and Training Chief Engineer Volkan Soylu to 15 years in prison for the crime of "causing the death and injury of more than one person through conscious negligence."

In the case, 16 people were released under judicial control.

In the trial where 23 people were judged, it was decided that 4 people would remain in custody.

After the verdict was announced, the relatives of the miners who lost their lives rebelled against the decision.

In the footage shared by CHP Bartın Deputy Aysu Bankoğlu, one citizen reacted by saying, "Justice is dead in this country."

!?Amasra Maden Faciası duruşmasında karar: ADALETSİZLİK!!! pic.twitter.com/p2g3FT9SSp

— Av. Aysu Bankoğlu (@AysuBankoglu) March 24, 2025

FROM THE PROSECUTION'S OPINION

In the opinion presented by the prosecution on December 13 last year, it was stated that when the actions of the suspects were examined, the detained defendant, Establishment Manager Cihat Özdemir, was found to be at fault regarding the factors that caused the incident, including "ventilation," "methane drainage," "coal dust control," "lack of technical personnel," and "occupational safety training and emergency drills."

The opinion stated that detained defendants Establishment Manager Selçuk Ekmekci and Chief Operations Engineer Mehmet Tural were found at fault regarding "ventilation," "coal dust control," and "occupational safety training and emergency drills," while Occupational Health, Safety and Training Chief Engineer and also Occupational Health, Safety and Training Branch Manager Volkan Soylu was found at fault regarding "ventilation" and "occupational safety training and emergency drills."

The opinion noted that the defendants Özdemir, Ekmekci, Tural, and Soylu acted in violation of the obligation to "design, construct, equip, and operate the workplace in a way that does not endanger the health and safety of employees" by failing to ensure occupational safety measures were taken, failing to implement the project related to improving ventilation, and allowing coal production using the "patara" method, which is not included in the legislation.

The opinion stated that although it was known that continuing coal production activities without taking necessary measures and addressing deficiencies posed a high risk, and they could have foreseen that this situation could lead to irreversible results, the detained defendants continued their high-risk activities for a long time, emphasizing that the elements of the crime of "intentional killing by possible intent" were present.

The opinion, which also included information regarding the negligence and failures of the non-detained defendants, stated that when the entire scope of the file was evaluated, including party statements, expert reports, autopsy reports, forensic medicine, inspection, and TÜBİTAK reports, it was requested that the detained defendants Özdemir, Ekmekci, Tural, and Soylu be sentenced to 840 to 1,050 years each for 43 counts of "intentional killing by possible intent," and 4 years and 16 months to 12 years each for 4 counts of "intentional injury by possible intent."

In the opinion, it was requested that the other 19 non-detained defendants be sentenced to 2 years and 8 months to 22 years and 6 months each for the crime of "causing the death and injury of more than one person through conscious negligence."

WHAT HAPPENED?

In the explosion that occurred at approximately 18:15 on October 14, 2022, at the mine owned by the TTK Amasra Establishment in the Amasra district of Bartın, 41 workers lost their lives and 11 workers were injured. One worker died in the hospital where he was transferred on November 4, 2022, and another worker died on April 5, 2023, while receiving treatment.

Within the scope of the investigation carried out by the Amasra Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, 24 suspects, including TTK Amasra Establishment Manager Cihat Özdemir, were detained.

Among the suspects, Özdemir, Deputy Establishment Manager Salih Atmaca, Establishment Manager Selçuk Ekmekci, Occupational Safety and Training Chief Engineer Volkan Soylu, Chief Engineer Mehmet Tural, as well as mining engineers responsible for the production units Levent Aydın and İbrahim Hakan Mengeş, and safety engineer Şahan Kahraman were arrested for the crime of "causing the death and injury of more than one person through conscious negligence." Judicial control provisions were applied to 4 people, and 3 of the suspects were released by the judgeship they were brought before, while 9 were released after their questioning by the prosecutor's office. A decision of non-prosecution was issued for one person among these suspects during the investigation process.

In the interim decision announced at the hearing on April 28, 2023, the court panel ruled for the release of Deputy Establishment Manager Salih Atmaca under judicial control and the continued detention of the other 7 defendants.

In its interim decision on May 8, 2024, the panel decided to release the mining engineers responsible for the production units, Levent Aydın and İbrahim Hakan Mengeş, and safety engineer Şahan Kahraman, who were being tried for the crime of "killing by conscious negligence," with house arrest and a travel ban.

News Source: 12punto