Tensioned hearing in the mining disaster case in Zonguldak

At the hearing held at the Zonguldak 1st High Criminal Court regarding the death of workers Veysel Oruçoğlu (46) and Ziya Kiret (60) in the collapse that occurred in a private mine in the Gelik town of Kilimli district of Zonguldak, the defendants Tevfik A., Halil D. and Ersin S., who were tried without arrest on charges of "causing death and injury by negligence", appeared before the judge. Parties' lawyers and the families of the deceased workers were present at the hearing.

During the hearing, there was an argument between the families' lawyer Meral Çolak and the defendant's lawyer Osman Özdoğan. Özdoğan said, "When I said a sentence, Lawyer Meral Çolak tried to throw me directly in front of people, saying 'Zonguldak has become like this because of you'. God forbid, what would happen if one of those painful people punched me or pulled a knife on me when I left here?" he said.

When the defendant's lawyer continued to talk about the argument he had with Meral Çolak in the previous case, the court president said that he should talk about the case. Claiming that his right to defense was denied, Özdoğan left the last hearing.

"MY LAWYER LEFT THE HALL, MY PSYCHOLOGY WAS DISTURBED"

In his defense, the detained defendant Halil D. said that the workplace in question belonged to him. When reminded of his statements in the previous hearing that it was not his, he said, "I do not accept the accusations. I am not threatened by anyone. My psychology was disturbed when my lawyer left the courtroom in the last hearing. This workplace is mine."

The defendant's permanent supervisor and OHS expert Ersin S., who wanted the judicial control practices against him to be lifted, said, "I want an expert report to be taken again. I accidentally pressed termination while trying to update the contract on February 13. It was a mistake, I want to say that there is no ill intention here."

THE HEARING HAS BEEN POSTPONED

Defendant Tevfik A., who denied the accusations, reminded that he left his job 15 days before the accident and said, "I object to the expert report. I do not accept it."

The court decided to continue the judicial control obligations regarding Ersin S. The hearing was postponed to December 24 for evaluations regarding whether a second expert report would be obtained regarding the accident and for the elimination of deficiencies.

RELATIVES TOLD ABOUT THE EXPLOITATION IN THE JANUARY

Şafak Kiret, the wife of Ziya Kiret, one of the workers who lost their lives in the mine, stated that her husband was made to do the work of five people and said, "He is the chief of the mine, he is the sawmill, he does the duty of the engineer, he helps his employees, and when his turn comes, he does the duty of the boss. Did this man have 5 lives? They finally took his life, when I told me this, they said, 'He shouldn't have entered.' First, we were told, 'You are his trust to me,' then they said, 'He shouldn't have entered.' On a weekend off. "If my son had not gone the day of the collapse, the third child would have died as well," he reacted.

Veysel Oruçoğlu's father, Fahri Oruçoğlu, also said that although his son lost his life, no one responsible was sentenced to prison and said, "It has been 7 months since my son died. They did not go to bed for a day. That mine did not stop for a day. 120 tons of coal comes out a day. The salaries of the dead people are kept inside. They have not even paid their salaries yet."