The indictment has been signed by 61 lawyers, lawyer Pinar Akbina Karaman reported Tuesday to the German news agency DPA. “As lawyers of this state, we cannot close our eyes to such injustice.”
There is much debate in Turkey about how and whether the magnitude of the catastrophe could have been prevented. The Turkish opposition accuses the government of not investing enough in the earthquake resistance of buildings and of not responding adequately to the disaster.
The Turkish government rejects the allegations. Ankara counters the criticism by pointing to the magnitude of the disaster.