The family of a 15-year-old student who was crushed to death at an auto repair shop while working as part of Turkey’s state-run vocational training program (MESEM) has challenged a court decision converting a prison sentence over his death into a fine payable in 20 installments, the BirGün daily reported.
The student, Muhammed Salih Gövdetaşan, was crushed between a pickup truck and a wall in Konya province. An expert report found the driver, Hasan Büyükaşcı, primarily at fault for failing to exercise due care while operating the vehicle and the shop owner, Mehmet Yelmez, secondarily at fault for inadequate workplace safety measures.
The Konya 15th Criminal Court of First Instance gave Büyükaşcı a reduced prison sentence of two years, one month in May but then converted it into a fine of 76,000 lira (about $1,660), payable in 20 installments.
The family appealed the ruling, saying the fine was insufficient punishment for their son’s death and that the investigation had been incomplete. Gövdetaşan’s father said security camera footage showing what happened before and during the incident had not been included in the case file despite the family’s requests. He also said his son had previously told him that Büyükaşcı had grabbed him by the throat.
Gövdetaşan was enrolled in the MESEM program, which allows students aged 15 to 18 to attend school one day a week while working four days in businesses for on-the-job training, receiving a portion of the minimum wage and insurance coverage. Students typically work in factories, auto repair shops, hair salons and at construction sites.
Education Minister Yusuf Tekin said in September that 37 students had died and 9,950 workplace accidents had been recorded in the MESEM program since 2025. A study published earlier this year also found that 48 percent of MESEM students had suffered at least one workplace accident.
Labor unions and rights groups have long criticized the program for exposing children to hazardous working conditions while providing businesses with cheap labor. They say weak oversight has left students vulnerable to long hours, workplace accidents and abuse.
