Court Rejects Soma Mine Disaster Case, Issues Arrest Warrant – Latest News from Turkey
The Mining Accident Lawsuit in Soma Continues
The legal battle surrounding the mining accident that took place in Soma on May 13, 2014 is still ongoing. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Soma Kömür İşletmeleri A.Ş. found themselves at the center of a judicial investigation, resulting in the arrest of eight individuals, including Chairman of the Board of Directors Can Gürkan, General Manager Ramazan Doğru, and Business Manager Akın Çelik.
As the legal proceedings progressed, three of the defendants were eventually released. Following a series of trials, the court panel handed down sentences as follows: Can Gürkan received 15 years in prison, Ramazan Doğru was sentenced to 22.5 years, Akın Çelik and mining engineer Ertan Ersoy received 18 years and 9 months each, and mining engineer Deputy Operations Manager İsmail Adalı was given a 22.5-year sentence.
Among the defendants who were not detained, security technician Mehmet Ali Günay Çelik was sentenced to 11 years and 8 months, while mining engineers Yasin Kurnaz and Hilmi Kazık each received a 10-year and 10-month sentence. Board member Haluk Evinç and employees Hilmi Karakoç, Mehmet Eres, Hüseyin Alkan, and Fuat Ünal Aydın were sentenced to 8 years, with Murat Bodur receiving a 6-year and 3-month sentence.
In a surprising turn, 37 defendants, including the company’s boss Alp Gürkan, were ultimately acquitted of all charges. The legal proceedings in the aftermath of the Soma mining accident serve as a sobering reminder of the importance of workplace safety and accountability in all industries.
