Isias Hotel Case Taken to Supreme Court: ‘Turkey Owes Us Justice’

Gathered at the Champion Angels Martyrs’ Cemetery in Famagusta, Northern Cyprus, the families called on judges and prosecutors at the Supreme Court for justice. Ruşen Yücesoylu Karakaya, President of the Champion Angels Preservation Association, said, “We are deeply angry not only at the hotel owners, technical supervisors, and public officials but also at all authorities who allowed this. Turkey owes us justice.”

The Grand Isias Hotel collapse resulted in 72 deaths, including students from Northern Cyprus and tour guides, and left 10 injured. On December 25, 2024, at Adıyaman’s 3rd High Criminal Court, relatives demanded strict punishment to prevent future tragedies.

The court sentenced hotel owner Ahmet Bozkurt to 18 years, 5 months, and 7 days in prison for “causing multiple deaths and injuries by conscious negligence.” Architect Erdem Yıldız received the same sentence; other technical supervisors and engineers were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 7 to 17 years. Some defendants were acquitted, and “good conduct” reductions were applied.

Prosecutors, the Northern Cyprus government, families, and lawyers appealed the verdict to the regional court, which upheld the rulings.

Calling the appeals decision inadequate, families brought the case to the Supreme Court, demanding real justice.

Karakaya, who lost her 14-year-old daughter Selin at the hotel, said, “We lost 35 lives from Cyprus and 72 overall at the killer Isias Hotel. We have fought ceaselessly for justice. The lower courts ignored our suffering and accepted the defendants’ denial. We want true justice now.”

She stressed, “This was not a simple building collapse. The intentional practices prove ‘conscious intent.’ We provided expert reports to support this. Unfortunately, the courts shut the door on us. We are angry—not just as families, but as the people of Cyprus. Turkey owes us justice.”

Karakaya added, “We will fight tooth and nail to get the justice we deserve. Our children didn’t die because of the earthquake; they died due to negligence, irresponsibility, improper permits, and corrupt connections.”

She warned that if the Supreme Court ruling is negative, they will appeal to the Constitutional Court and then the European Court of Human Rights.

Highlighting the absence of technical supervisor Hasan Aslan—sentenced to 16 years but still at large—Karakaya demanded his arrest and prosecution.

Regarding a second trial of public officials scheduled for July 16, she said no officials have been detained despite expert reports showing violations, and they will demand arrests at the hearing.

Legal expert and survivor Dr. Pervin Aksoy İpekçioğlu criticized the regional appeals court for rejecting the case on grounds of “conscious negligence” rather than “conscious intent,” attributing it to political and economic pressure from Turkey’s construction sector.

She said, “Although justice is lacking in Turkey, we will create it. Our children went there representing their country and were buried in a building constructed by a few corrupt individuals.”

İpekçioğlu also revealed the hotel’s second construction permit was forged and building materials were poor quality. “Forgery is not a crime committed by negligence,” she said, calling for the merging of the main trial and public officials’ cases to reveal the full truth.

She urged Supreme Court judges and prosecutors to act with conscience and courage.

Additionally, İpekçioğlu disclosed that the hotel owner’s lawyer requested the transfer of Ahmet Bozkurt from prison to hospital due to health issues.