Lawyers file criminal complaints against Erdoğan, ministers over earthquakes

Photo: AA

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

Sixty-one lawyers came together upon the call from the Halkçı Hukukçular (Lawyers for the People) initiative and filed a criminal complaint in relation to the consequences of the February 6 earthquakes against the officials that they held responsible for the great loss of life and property.

They filed the complaint against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Communication Presidency Director Fahrettin Altun, the ministers, the governors and the mayors of the cities destructed by the earthquake, the GSM operators, the involved contractors, and building control companies at the Ankara Chief Prosecutor's office.

The lawyers requested that an investigation be carried out about the president, ministers, governors, mayors, and others and that a criminal case is initiated following public prosecution.

Eleven accusations

The lawyers made eleven accusations in their complaint. These include "causing the death or injury of more than one person with eventual intent," "causing death with gross negligence," "breach of task of inspection," "misconduct," "intimidation," "insult," "preventing communication," "not fulfilling the obligation to help and notification," "collusive tendering," 61 and "removing, hiding or changing criminal evidence."

The lawyers referred to the statement that Erdoğan made following the February 6 earthquakes where he said "These are all included in the fate plan." They said in the petition, "Where the people are obliged to fulfill with their own insufficient means the responsibilities that the state does not fulfill in each pain that our country faces, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the other hand is taking cover in fatalism."

Signatory lawyers

Metin BAYYAR, Fettah Ayhan ERKAN, Ali Serdar ÇINGI, Sait KIRAN, Tacettin ÇOLAK, Halil AĞIRGÖL, Av. Azime Ayça OKUR, Av. Pınar AKBİNA KARAMAN, Doğan ERKAN, Av. Bektaş ŞARKLI, Polat BALKAN, Zafer KAZAN, Mengücek Gazi ÇITIRIK, A. Aydın İNAĞ, Ömer Faruk EMİNAĞAOĞLU, Doğan Zafer ÇINGI, Aslı ŞEPİTCİ, Aslıhan ARSLANTAŞ, Kerim BÜTÜN, Habibe ÇALIŞGAN, Kerem DONAT, Rojda ALOĞLU, İlke YAKUPOGLU ERGUN, Bahtiyar GÜNER, Harun Fırat ULUSU, Ayşegül GÜNERİ, Mehmet Gökhan KURT, İpek Ece KEREMOĞLU, Handenur DAYICA, Serenay YAMAN, Mediha KANMAZ, Selen VARGÜN ALITKAN, Deniz VURAL, Necla BENLİOĞLU, Savaş İŞLİYEN, Turhan İÇLİ, Naif ŞAŞMAZ, Salim Berkay AKSU, Ayla YILDIRIM, Ebru BEŞE, Yıldız AKDENİZ, Görgün DANACI, Nurhak KAR, Ferhat ÇİÇEKLİ, Yalçın AKSAKAL, Dilek TAŞ DELİCE, Cansu TELLİ, Sümeyye İYİBİÇER, Veli KARGIN, K. Çağdaş KARADENİZ, Av. İsmail Sami ÇAKMAK, Bermâl KUTLU, Gizem Büşra BİLGİÇ, Handan İLAĞA, Büşra AÇIKGÖZ, Hakan AVCI, Süleyman Emrah AYDOĞAN, Seçkil ÇELİK, Ebru BÜYÜK, Ayten İZMİRLİ, Gizem ÖZTÜRK

(AÖ/PE)