78 Dead in Hotel Fire as Families March on Ankara for Justice – “Stop the Cover-Up”
A 186-kilometer march demanding accountability for the 78 people killed in the Bolu Grand Kartal Hotel fire ended in Ankara on July 11, as the sole marcher, Oktay Akişli, called for government officials to face trial alongside those already charged [199791].
The “Justice for 78 Lives” march began in Bolu after the fire, which killed dozens of hotel guests. Akişli, who lost relatives in the blaze, walked to the capital to pressure authorities into expanding the investigation beyond lower-level suspects [199791]. The protest ended at Ankara, where marchers demanded that senior officials be held criminally responsible for the deaths [199791].
Separately, an investigation into the 2009 helicopter crash that killed former Turkish politician Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu has resulted in the arrest of all 19 suspects. After police procedures, the suspects were transferred to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and then brought before a duty judge, who ordered their arrest on charges related to the death [198697]. The case was transferred from Maraş to Ankara on June 12, and police operations were carried out in multiple cities [194983].
In another death probe, the Erzurum Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has requested all records related to armored vehicles used by police and gendarmerie forces in Dersim on January 5, 2020, as part of an investigation into the death of Gülistan Doku. The demand includes detailed information on every armored vehicle operated that day and the personnel assigned to them [197354].
The family of Rojin Kabaiş has filed a new petition requesting a diatom test after reports showed no water in the victim’s lungs. The test can determine if a drowning occurred in open water versus a pool or tap [198690]. Separately, the local bar association filed criminal complaints against the rector of Van Yüzüncü Yıl University and the dormitory director, citing security failures and a delay in notifying the family [198690].
In the case of Mekiye Akyel, a mother of four who disappeared, three suspects have been arrested, but the woman’s body has still not been found. The family has pleaded, “Even if it is just her bones, give them to us” [196147]. Authorities have not located the missing body, and the safety of Akyel’s four children remains unsecured [196147].
A Turkish workplace safety group reported that at least 228 workers died on the job in June alone, bringing the total for the first six months of 2026 to 1,063. The data, released by the İşçi Sağlığı ve İş Güvenliği Meclisi (İSİG), or Workers' Health and Safety Assembly, highlights a persistent crisis in occupational safety [196143].