It has now been a year since the devastating earthquake reduced large parts of southern Türkiye to rubble. Despite the demonstrably catastrophic decisions that the Turkish government in Ankara, but also Erdogan’s deputies at the regional level, had made for years, the presidential election shortly after the catastrophe only saw one winner: the Sultan was able to assert himself.
Now, after 12 months, the people of Hatay Province are still alone, nothing has changed. Thousands are still living in tent cities, and in many places reconstruction has not yet begun. The lack of prospects is palpable everywhere. According to a government decree, people should have gathered in silence on the anniversary of the earthquake to remember those killed. Thousands gathered in Antakya, the worst-hit city in Türkiye’s earthquake zone. So on the anniversary they stood in the darkness between the rubble of their city, but didn’t want to remain silent.
When the Turkish health minister came on stage from Ankara as a government representative, they booed him and the minister barely got a word to say. The crowd shouted him down with phrases like “We didn’t have a shroud, we didn’t have a hearse.” “The murderous state will get the bill.” And again and again they shouted the question “Does anyone hear our voices?” Of those who screamed their anger into the night, many still live in emergency shelters. Over half a million people in the earthquake region still house in containers or even tents. Reconstruction has begun in some places, but it will probably take the longest in Antakya. Not just because many people vote for the opposition here. The city looks like it has been wiped out. It will probably remain scarred by the earthquake for years to come.
The health minister was probably sent because President Recep Tayyip Erdogan probably suspected what would happen to him in the southeast of his empire. He didn’t want to expose himself to that and sent his health minister to calm people down. Hatay province, where Antakya is located, is the only one in the earthquake region to be ruled by the opposition. Nevertheless, their governor was also booed for his crisis management and for the lack of help.
Many in the province believe that politics was to blame. The fact that Hatay is not a loyal country to Erdogan. Erdogan also indirectly underlined this when days later he appeared in Antakya to nominate his AKP’s candidates for the local elections on March 31. He said a sentence that outraged his opponents: “If the national government and the local government don’t go hand in hand, nothing will happen in that city.” And he added: “Has anything come to Hatay?”
Money is not flowing to those who need it most, says a commentary in Karar newspaper. The president said quite openly: Vote for our candidates in the local elections, otherwise you will get nothing. “Erdogan is the state,” said the newspaper, “the state is the AKP.” In Antakya at night, this state had to listen to a battle cry that those in power anywhere in the world do not like to hear. One that also requires courage in Türkiye. “Government, resign!” shouted from the crowd.
Not much has happened yet in terms of legal processing. Around 227,000 buildings collapsed or were damaged in the 7.8 magnitude earthquake. More than 1.5 million people were left homeless. Investigations quickly showed that in many cases building regulations had been ignored. Strict building regulations have actually been in effect in Türkiye since the Kocaeli earthquake in 1999, in which 17,500 people died. However, they are often not adhered to or checked.
On the anniversary of the earthquake, the Turkish Justice Minister announced that investigations had been initiated against 2,825 suspects and that 267 people were in custody. As a result of the investigation, 369 criminal proceedings were initiated, of which 275 led to charges. However, experience with previous earthquakes gives reason to be skeptical as to whether those responsible will actually be punished.
On the first anniversary of the earthquake, the Turkish public prosecutor’s office has now presented its indictment in the case of the Rönesans residence. The apartment block in Antakya collapsed completely on its side on February 6, 2023. According to official information, 269 residents lost their lives when the twelve-story building collapsed. Since the beginning of February, the building contractor and seven other suspects have had to answer for the disaster.
The entrepreneur tried to move abroad after the earthquake. In court, he claimed that it was a testament to the solid construction that the building had fallen over and not collapsed. However, an expert report came to the conclusion that numerous regulations had been ignored during the construction. In particular, the foundation of the apartment building, which was advertised as a luxury residence, was not deep enough. The defendants face up to 22 years in prison for negligent homicide.
In addition to the building contractor and his fugitive brother, the responsible construction manager, a civil engineer and several employees of companies that checked the statics at the start of construction work in 2011 are also accused. However, the city administration employees who issued the building permit and supervised the construction work are not charged. This is not an isolated case.
In the case of the Nobel residence in Antakya, investigations were initiated against the responsible officials in the construction department. The prosecution also states that they share responsibility for the disaster. However, no proceedings have been opened against them so far. This is not an isolated case: In most proceedings, the investigations against the responsible authority employees are outsourced – if they take place at all.
In Türkiye, the Interior Ministry must give the green light before prosecutors can investigate crimes committed by officials in the performance of their duties. The government’s critics see this as a reason why no city administration representatives have been brought to court since the disaster a year ago. This also applies to the trial of the “Grand Isias Hotel” in Adiyaman – probably the most symbolic trial of the earthquake in Türkiye.
The four-star hotel collapsed like a house of cards during the earthquake, 72 people died. Among them were 24 children from a volleyball team as well as several of their coaches, teachers and parents. The trial of those responsible began here on January 3rd. A total of eleven defendants have to answer for the disaster.
The main defendant is the owner of the hotel. The entrepreneur assured the court that he had followed all regulations when building the hotel, but the building could not withstand the earthquake of the century – like thousands of other buildings. However, there is a suspicion that the city administration turned a blind eye to the construction of the hotel because the owner had good contacts with the ruling AKP party.
According to a report, the construction used porous concrete and added an additional, illegal floor, while supporting columns were removed to create more space in the lobby. “They didn’t build a hotel, they built a mass grave,” the mother of one of the girls who died said at the trial.
Not a single official, city council or mayor has so far had to answer for approving construction projects that violated the regulations that were partly responsible for over 53,000 deaths. The Erdogan government must actually ensure that everyone who approved the homes, hospitals and hotels that became graves for their residents on February 6 is held accountable.
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