Third Hearing of Soma Trial Begins
The third trial of the case regarding the workplace murder in Manisa province’s Soma district, which resulted in the death of 301 miners, has begun in Akhisar High Criminal Court.
Jailed defendants Soma Coal Inc. Chairman Can Gürkan, General Manager Ramazan Doğru, Operating Manager Akın Çelik, engineer Ertan Ersoy, shift supervisors Yasin Kurnaz, Hilmi Kazık, Mehmet Ali Günay Çelik and İsmail Adalı, 25 of the 37 defendants without arrest, families of the victims and defendants’ attorneys are present at the hearing in Bülent Ciğeroğlu Cultural Center.
The decision to hear testimonies of the 8 jailed defendants through the Sound and Image Informatics System (SEGBİS) for fear of their safety was revoked upon the heavy reaction of miners’ loved ones. The first hearing had taken place on Monday, April 13th.
In the second hearing held yesterday, jailed defendants were brought to court. The court had finished reading the first 8 parts of the 163-page bill of indictment, featuring the identities of the deceased workers, the plaintiffs and the defendants, defendants’ testimonies at the prosecution’s interrogation, and experts’, The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey’s (TÜBİTAK) and Security General Directorate’s reports.
The chief judge had adjourned the hearing at 6:15 pm and decided for the rest of the bill to be read at 9:00 am.
45 defendants, 8 of them jailed
The bill of indictment about the workplace murder that took place in Soma on 13 May 2014 at the Eynez mine demanded a case be filed against 8 jailed defendants and 37 defendants without arrest, making 45 in total. 162 injured workers were included as the plaintiffs.
Jailed defendants Soma Inc. owner Can Gürkan, shift supervisors Yasin Kurnaz, Hilmi Kazık, İsmail Adalı, General Manager Ramazan Doğru, technical supervisor Ertan Ersoy, Business Manager Akın Çelik and mine technician Mehmet Ali Günay Çelik were stated in the 230-page bill of indictment to have committed the crime of “murdering and injuring people with potential intent” included in article 81 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK).
The remaining defendants without arrest have been charged with TCK 85/2, that is from “murder through conscious negligence”.
The plaintiffs asked for 20 to 25 years served 301 times, plus 2 to 6 years in prison served 162 times for the eight jailed suspects, and 2 to 15 year prison sentences for the 37 suspects without arrest.
As will be remembered, Labor and Social Security Minister Faruk Çelik had not allowed for investigations against the 2 inspectors and public officials who had inspected the mine in Soma where 301 workers lost their lives, and given a positive report. (NV/PU)
Click here to read this article in Turkish.