A Turkish regional court has overturned a decision blocking an investigation into police officials over the bombing of an Ankara train station in 2015, potentially opening the way for three senior officers to face prosecution nearly a decade after the country’s deadliest terrorist attack, Turkish Minute reported, citing the Anka news agency.
The Gaziantep Regional Administrative Court, which acts like an appeals court, ruled that the Gaziantep Governor’s Office was wrong to deny permission to investigate members of the provincial police force in connection with the twin bombings on October 10, 2015, which killed 103 people at Ankara’s central train station.
The decision means prosecutors can now pursue an investigation into the then-deputy chief of the Gaziantep police, the head of the counterterrorism unit and the unit’s deputy chief.
The ruling follows years of legal challenges by victims’ families and lawyers, who argue that the bombing could not have taken place without failures or negligence by public officials, given that there were prior intelligence warnings.
In a written statement the October 10 Peace Association welcomed the court’s decision, calling it a turning point after years of rejected requests.
“… For 10 years, our demands were ignored and rejected. Governors’ offices repeatedly refused to grant permission to investigate public officials,” the group said.
“With this decision, the path has been opened for these three security officials to be investigated and tried.”
The association said the officials in question had failed to act despite reports about the purchase of fertilizer later used to manufacture the bomb.
“This ruling is not only important for the Ankara train station massacre but will also affect all similar mass murder cases,” their statement said, adding that families would continue their struggle until “the real perpetrators, instigators and those who turned a blind eye are exposed.”
On the day of the bombing at Ankara’s central train station, thousands had gathered for a peace rally organized by trade unions, civil society groups and the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP).
The demonstration, just weeks ahead of a snap general election, called for an end to violence between Turkish forces and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Turkey and its Western allies designate as a terrorist organization and was seen as critical for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to continue its single-party rule in power.
The party lost its parliamentary majority in a general election held in June 2015. Snap elections were called after a series of deadly terrorist attacks in the country.
Two Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) suicide bombers detonated their explosives within seconds of each other in the middle of the crowd. The explosions killed 103 people and wounded more than 500, with body parts scattered across the square. Dozens died instantly. Many more succumbed to injuries in hospitals in the following hours and days.
ISIL’s Gaziantep cell was later identified as having organized the attack. In July 2024 the Ankara 4th High Criminal Court sentenced nine imprisoned defendants to 101 counts of aggravated life imprisonment each for murder, along with hundreds of additional years for attempted murder. Sixteen suspects remain at large.
Despite those convictions, no public officials have faced criminal charges to date, even though internal reports and court files showed that police and intelligence services had prior warnings about the attackers.
Turkey’s Supreme Court of Appeals previously upheld the life sentences for ISIL members but confirmed that former intelligence and police officials would not be prosecuted after the Ankara Governor’s Office refused to grant permission for an inquiry.
The latest ruling challenges that longstanding barrier to accountability.
The 2015 bombing occurred during a period of intense political turmoil. In addition to AKP losing its parliamentary majority, a fragile peace process with the PKK collapsed that summer. Attacks by both ISIL and the PKK surged in the lead-up to the election.
Every year on October 10, victims’ families gather at the site of the attack to demand justice, saying accountability remains incomplete as long as public officials are shielded from investigation.
