A Turkish court on Thursday rejected a request to hear Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy as a witness in a trial concerning a hotel fire that killed 78 people in the northwestern resort of Kartalkaya, Turkish Minute reported.
Ersoy had previously withheld permission to investigate ministry officials accused of failing to ensure fire safety compliance at the Grand Kartal Hotel, where the January blaze also injured 133 people.
The court also issued an interim decision and adjourned the trial until September 22.
The fire broke out shortly after midnight on January 21 at the Grand Kartal Hotel, a 12-story luxury ski resort located in Bolu province’s popular winter tourism area. The blaze destroyed the building, killed 78 people and injured 133 others and prompted nationwide outrage over alleged safety violations, regulatory failures and political negligence.
The trial, which began on July 7, is being held in Bolu High School’s sports hall due to the large number of defendants and plaintiffs. A total of 32 people are on trial, 19 of whom are in custody, including hotel executives, Bolu municipal officials, fire department personnel and employees of private companies responsible for inspections and maintenance.
The court on Thursday ordered the arrest of İrfan Acar, a firefighter who conducted a safety inspection at the hotel prior to the fire and had been standing trial without detention. Faysal Yaver, a kitchen worker held in pretrial detention, was released under judicial supervision with a travel ban. The remaining 18 detained defendants will remain in custody, the court ruled.
Meanwhile, the house arrest orders for four other defendants — including İbrahim Polat and İsmail Karagöz of Mudurnu Energy Industry and Trade Inc., receptionist Yiğithan Burak Çetin and inspection company owner Ali Ağaoğlu — were extended.
According to the 111-page indictment accepted on the first day of the trial, 13 defendants — including hotel owner Halit Ergül, his family members and senior executives — are charged with “killing with possible intent” and “intentional injury with possible intent,” both repeated 78 times for each victim. They face up to 1,998 years in prison.
Another 22 defendants, including technical staff, safety inspectors, technicians and municipal officials, are accused of “causing the death and injury of multiple people through gross negligence,” with potential sentences of up to 22-and-a-half years.
‘They failed to alert the guests, but saved their cars’
During the first five days of the trial, the court heard the defense of all 32 defendants. Statements from victims’ families and witnesses followed, with many providing harrowing accounts of the fire and the failed evacuation. Civilian parties — 210 in total — include survivors and relatives of those who perished.
Gülnihal Temizkan, who survived by jumping from a window with her husband and child, testified on Thursday.
“There was no alarm, no exit signs. People were tying sheets to windows to escape. We are not in a position to be grateful just because we survived,” she said.
Footage shown in court revealed Emir Aras, the hotel’s general manager, and Ergül’s son-in-law fleeing the building with his family. Aras told the court, “I made a mistake, but I did not act intentionally. I am very sorry. I do not want to be released.”
Zeynep Kotan, who lost her 18-year-old son in the fire and is a spokesperson for the Başka Canımız Yok (We Have No Other Life) platform, told BBC that the continuation of detention for most suspects and the arrest of firefighter Acar were appropriate. The group, comprising victims’ families, has been demanding accountability from both public officials and private entities.
Kotan also confirmed that lawyers for the plaintiffs had submitted requests for the prosecution of Culture and Tourism Ministry and Labor and Social Security Ministry officials. The court announced that those cases had been separated into a new file and would be pursued as part of a distinct investigation. “We believe the Council of State will grant permission for these investigations,” Kotan said.
Civil society pressure grows
The trial has attracted widespread public attention and criticism from across the political and civilian spectrum.
Former ruling party MP Mehmet Güner, who lost eight family members in the fire, removed his lawyer’s robe in court to address the room as a grieving father. “The real problem isn’t just the people on trial here,” he said. “Ministry officials must also be held accountable.”
Professional organizations and rights groups have echoed this call. Emin Koramaz, president of the Turkish Union of Engineers and Architects Chambers (TMMOB), called the disaster “a product of institutional neglect.” He said the tragedy reflects systemic failures in building safety, regulation and enforcement — concerns long raised by experts in the aftermath of mining, shipyard and factory disasters in Turkey.
Dr. Alpay Azap, head of the Turkish Medical Association, attended the hearings in support of the victims and stressed the importance of public pressure. “One of those who died was a medical intern who was trying to help others,” he said. “Too often, judicial mechanisms leave those truly responsible untouched.”
The victims’ families gathered outside the courthouse on the trial’s opening day, carrying photos of the deceased and accusing the authorities of allowing dangerous conditions to persist at the hotel.
“Hotel owners, managers and employees did not warn the guests or activate the alarm system. They ran to save their cars while our loved ones suffocated in smoke. A safety inspection report issued one month before the fire clearly showed serious deficiencies, but the owners refused to implement the recommendations, citing the high cost,” they said in a joint statement.
The case has also raised serious questions about the coordination — or lack thereof — between Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Ministry and local authorities. Both sides deflected responsibility in the days following the disaster, while allegations emerged that evidence was destroyed and CCTV footage deleted after the fire.
The next hearing is scheduled for September 22.
