Rusen Karakaya, whose daughter Selin was one of the 24 Cypriot children killed when the Isias hotel in the southeastern Turkish city of Adiyaman collapsed during the earthquakes which hit the region in February last year, on Thursday launched an attack on the lawyers defending the 11 people held responsible for the hotel’s collapse.
She described the lawyers’ actions in court in Adiyaman on Tuesday as “insulting”, and added, “they are a bunch of nonsensical, unnecessary people who have no respect for any position or person, and they claim to be doing their job”.
“Never, ever, ever make such heartless and insincere remarks such as your claims you ‘understand our pain’! Never, ever, ever address our mothers and fathers! Never, ever, ever criticise our dear friends who have been with us since day one,” she said.
She added that “justice will slap them in the face” when it is served, and that that justice will see the 11 defendants charged with intentionally killing the 24 Cypriot children, 11 Cypriot adults, and 37 others who died when the hotel collapsed.
The defence lawyers’ conduct was heavily criticised by Cyprus Turkish Bar Association chairman Hasan Esendagli on Tuesday. He accused them of “acting provocatively” in court towards the families of those killed.
He had gone on to say their actions were not compatible with the legal profession.
“The defendants’ lawyers are also defending their clients under great pressure. From their perspective, they are just doing their job, but their behaviour just now has been beyond the right to defence. It was aggressive and provocative,” he said.
The court case will resume in Adiyaman on December 3.
