Families of Bolu Kartalkaya Fire Started a Vigil for Justice in Ankara

Families who continued their search for justice after the fire in Bolu Kartalkaya on January 21, 2025, in which 78 people, including 36 children, lost their lives, came together at Anıtpark in Ankara. Families started a vigil with photographs and memories of their relatives and left red carnations on the empty chairs prepared in memory of the 78 relatives they lost. In the statement made on behalf of the families, it was emphasized that although 619 days have passed since the disaster, their pain is the same as the first day. The statement said, "That night is not over for us. The fire within us has not gone out, our pain has not subsided. We wake up to the same nothingness every morning." Families stated that their belief that justice will be provided keeps them alive and that they will not allow the files to be lost due to delays.

'POSABLE CASTE' CALL TO THE SUPREME COURT

One of the primary demands of the families is the approval of the decisions made in the main case and brought to the Supreme Court. In the statement, it was specifically requested that the convictions given within the scope of "possible intent" be approved. Families demanded that the responsibilities revealed in the incident in which 78 relatives lost their lives be met before the law.

REQUEST FOR INVESTIGATION TO MINISTRIES

Families also demanded that investigations regarding the responsibilities of public officials affiliated with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security and the Ministry of Internal Affairs be completed. Families, who wanted indictments to be prepared and trials to begin in the files in question, argued that the presence of public officials in office would not eliminate the responsibility of accountability.

'HOLDING AN ACCOUNT CANNOT BE POSTPONED'

Addressing the Minister of Justice, the families said, "Why are the families still waiting for an indictment in these files where the evidence and responsibilities are in plain sight? The accounting for 78 lives cannot be postponed any longer. We are still in that night." He emphasized that the search for justice will continue until the last responsible person is held accountable.

Speaking on behalf of the families, Lawyer Yüksel Gültekin stated that they have been waiting for a lawsuit to be filed for about a year and a half and called on the Minister of Justice. Gültekin said, "We, as ordinary citizens, want justice. We do not want to take to the streets. Those who recklessly occupy ministerial chairs will not be spared the torment of history."