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yesterday

32 Defendants Face Charges in Trial Over Grand Kartal Hotel Blaze

Victims’ relatives protested outside the Bolu courtroom demanding accountability following prosecutors’ indictment of 32 individuals on charges from intentional killing to negligent death.

Thirteen of the defendants -- including senior officials at the hotel, the fire department and the city council -- face up to 1,998 years in prison each
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Overview

  • The trial opened Monday with 210 civil parties and 32 accused gathered in a sports center in Bolu temporarily converted into a 700-seat courtroom.
  • Prosecutors allege a spark from an electric grill ignited LPG and wooden cladding accelerated flames, resulting in 78 deaths and 133 injuries on January 21.
  • Thirteen defendants, including hotel owners and local officials, face up to 1,998 years for possible intentional killing charges while 19 others face up to 22½ years for negligent death or injury.
  • The indictment details critical safety failures such as nonfunctional alarms, absence of sprinklers, blocked emergency exits and lack of smoke extraction that turned stairwells into smoke chimneys.
  • Victims’ families accused hotel authorities of concealing evidence and deleting CCTV recordings as they held up portraits of their loved ones outside the courtroom.