A Turkish court on Tuesday sentenced multiple defendants in connection with a 2022 mining disaster that killed 42 miners, ruling that they acted with “conscious negligence” rather than “eventual intent,” a decision that sparked outrage among victims’ families, the Stockholm Center for Freedom reported.
On October 14, 2022 a mine explosion at a facility operated by the state-owned Turkish Hard Coal Enterprises’ (TTK) in northwestern Turkey’s Amasra province claimed the lives of dozens of workers and injured nine others. The explosion was believed to have been caused by a buildup of methane gas.
In its indictment, the prosecution highlighted major safety lapses as key factors behind the explosion. Investigators found that the accused ignored critical issues, including inadequate ventilation, failure to manage methane drainage, lack of coal dust mitigation, insufficient technical staff and deficient safety training and emergency drills.
The prosecution argued that the defendants had knowingly continued hazardous mining activities despite being aware of the life-threatening risks.
The court convicted Cihat Özdemir, the head of TTK Amasra, to 17 years in prison on the charge of causing death and injury through negligent behavior. Similarly, Selçuk Ekmekci, the operations manager, and chief operating engineer Mehmet Tural received sentences of 16 years each, while deputy director of the occupational safety branch Volkan Soylu was sentenced to 15 years.
Additionally, 16 other non-detained defendants were sentenced to prison terms ranging from three years to nine years for the same crime.
The court acquitted three defendants, including the deputy head of TTK Amasra, Salih Atmaca, who were found not guilty.
The decision sparked an emotional outcry outside the courthouse, as grieving families — who had expected sentences based on eventual intent — voiced their disappointment and frustration. One mother, who lost her 22-year-old son in the explosion, tearfully asked, “Where is justice for my child?”
Turkey has tragically lost at least 2,188 miners in work-related accidents since the Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in November 2002.
Turkey’s worst mining disaster took place under AKP rule in May 2014 in the Soma district of western Manisa province, taking the lives of 301 miners. In addition to the miners who died, 162 others were injured in a fire inside the coal mine. The deaths were caused by carbon monoxide spread through the mine by the fire.
The trial of 28 public officials, including inspectors from two ministries, accused of responsibility for the disaster, began only in May 2024 — a decade after the tragedy.
In another tragedy in October 2014 a lignite mine operated by Has Şekerler Mining in Ermenek, Karaman, flooded, trapping 18 workers inside. After 38 days of search and rescue efforts, it was determined that all 18 workers had died.