Turkish prosecutors have launched an investigation into six relatives of victims of earthquakes that struck southeastern Turkey in February 2023 and two journalists over their criticism of court-appointed experts whose reports led to the release of several suspects on trial over deadly building collapses.
According to the Birgün daily, the Kahramanmaraş Public Prosecutor’s Office opened the probe after five court-appointed experts — academics Turgay Çoşgun, Cihan Öser, Mücteba Uysal, Hakkı Eşki and Barış Sayın — filed a criminal complaint accusing journalists Timur Soykan and İsmail Arı of targeting them through critical reporting and public statements about their findings.
In their petition, the experts accused Soykan and Arı, along with six relatives of earthquake victims, of defamation, deliberately misleading judicial authorities, issuing written threats via email, attempting to influence a judicial officer or expert witness, violating personal data protection laws, filing unfounded complaints and insult.
Prosecutors have begun taking statements from those named in the complaint as part of the investigation.
The five experts were appointed by courts in 2024 to prepare expert reports in at least 18 cases related to the earthquakes, including over the collapse of the Ezgi Apartment, where 35 people died, and the Saitbey Apartment, where 45 people lost their lives.
In several of the cases, the experts concluded that defendants who were accused of responsibility for the collapses and faced lengthy prison sentences bore no criminal liability. Their findings paved the way for the suspects’ release pending trial, prompting criticism from victims’ families and becoming the focus of reporting by Soykan and Arı.
Both Soykan and Arı, journalists with the pro-opposition Birgün daily, have previously faced multiple prosecutions over their journalistic work, reflecting the legal pressures faced by critical outlets in Turkey.
In their petition the experts said two pro-government dailies, Yeni Akit and Yeni Şafak, had also published negative coverage about them. However, they did not file complaints against journalists from those outlets.
Two earthquakes struck southeastern Turkey on February 6, 2023, killing 53,725 people and injuring more than 107,000 according to official figures. Poor construction and failure to enforce building codes even in Turkey’s earthquake-prone areas have been blamed for the extent of the destruction.
