Isias Trial Postponed to April 26; 6 of 11 Defendants to be Tried Without Detention

Out of the 11 detained defendants, the court decided to keep 5 of them, namely Ahmet Bozkurt, Efe Bozkurt, Erdem Yildiz, Halil Bagci, and Mehmet Fatih Bozkurt, in custody. The court also ruled for the continuation of the judicial control measures for the remaining 6 defendants: Bilge Acik, Hasan Aslan, Mehmet Goncuoglu, Seda Zeren, Şule Ozbek, and Ulviye Bozkurt.

One significant decision was to submit the expert report prepared by Karadeniz Technical University, aimed at understanding why the building collapsed, to a university expert committee.

The next hearing is scheduled for April 26, 2024. The court's decisions also include the submission of the case to a new expert committee in light of arguments presented by both parties regarding the expert report.

The court stated that, despite receiving expert reports, the trial will continue in the previous format, with defendants participating online. The families, who joined the case as complainants, will continue their involvement in the trial.

After the announcement of the decisions, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Tourism, Culture, Youth, and Environment Fikri Ataoglu stated that their requests during the four-day trial were met, emphasizing the government's support for the Champion Angels Association. He reiterated their commitment to pursuing the heaviest penalties for the perpetrators and vowed to continue supporting the families until justice is served.

Bar Association President Hasan Esendagli expressed the importance of the court's decisions, highlighting the continuation of detention for certain defendants and the expert report's reevaluation. He emphasized the significance of maintaining the current status of the trial until April 26.

Rusen Yucesoylu Karakaya, the President of the Champion Angels Association, thanked the Turkish Cypriot community for their support and stated their determination to pursue justice for the victims. She considered the trial as a precedent and expressed belief in a fair trial leading to severe penalties for the defendants.

Ongun Talat, Vice President of the Committee Monitoring the Judicial Process Related to Earthquakes in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Parliament, commented on the court's decisions, emphasizing the importance of the continued detention of some defendants. He noted that the trial will proceed with the involvement of the families and that the court will further examine the evidence with new expert reports.

The Isias trial is expected to set a precedent for holding individuals accountable for earthquake-related offenses, and the families have expressed their commitment to continue their pursuit of justice.