Hatay court orders new expert panel in Göçemen 2 collapse trial
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A Hatay court ordered a new multidisciplinary expert panel to resolve contradictions in reports on the Göçemen 2 apartment collapse that killed six people in the February 2023 earthquakes. The panel will include at least five specialists in construction, engineering, architecture, law, geophysics, and geotechnics. The trial was adjourned to December 15, 2026, while defendants remain under travel bans.
Key Facts
- The Göçemen 2 apartment building in Antakya's Esentepe neighborhood collapsed in the February 6 earthquakes, killing 6 people and injuring 3.
- The Hatay court ordered a new expert panel of at least 5 specialists in construction, engineering, architecture, law, geophysics, and geotechnics to resolve contradictions in existing reports.
- The trial was adjourned to December 15, 2026, with defendants' travel bans maintained but police station signing requirements lifted.
- The latest expert report found the contractor, static project author, site supervisor, building inspection company official, project and application auditor, and control officer 'primarily at fault'.
The Collapse
The 8-story Göçemen 2 apartment building in Antakya's Esentepe neighborhood collapsed in the February 6 earthquakes, killing 6 people and injuring 3. The building was 2 years old at the time of the collapse. The Hatay Chief Public Prosecutor's Office filed charges of 'causing the death of more than one person by conscious negligence' against contractor Mehmet Salih Göçemen, static project author and site supervisor Mehmet Fatih Rifaioğlu, building inspection company official Mehmet Günay, project and application auditor Züheyr Gülücü, control officer Selman Yeniocak, and soil survey report preparers Hıdır Zervent and Evren Gümüş. The prosecutor's office later filed the same charges against then-Antakya Deputy Mayor Engin Sözer and municipal employees construction technician Arif Murat Elçi, electrical engineer Bekir Sıtkı Aydın, mechanical engineer Hayrinnisa Kimyacı, and architect Mevlüt Semih Küreç.
Expert Reports
The latest expert report found the contractor, static project author, site supervisor, building inspection company official, project and application auditor, and control officer 'primarily at fault'. The report found municipal static project control auditor civil engineer Fahriye Aktaş and the Municipal Building Control Unit 'secondarily at fault'. The soil survey report preparers were found 'not at fault'. The court ordered a new expert panel of at least 5 specialists in construction, engineering, architecture, law, geophysics, and geotechnics to resolve contradictions between existing reports.
Hearing and Ruling
At the 10th hearing on September 23, Lale Mukaddes Saraç, who lost her husband and daughter in the earthquake, said 'I am seeking justice'. Ayça Saraç, who lost her father and sister in the rubble, said 'They took our lives from us, we have been seeking justice for over 3 years'. Plaintiff attorney Seher Eriş Turgut requested that all defendants be present at the next hearing and that a new expert report be prepared, citing a Supreme Court Chief Public Prosecutor's Office memorandum recommending a multidisciplinary expert panel for a collapsed building in the February 6 earthquakes. Defense attorneys also objected to the expert report and requested a new expert report and the lifting of judicial control measures against their clients. The court lifted the defendants' police station signing requirements but maintained travel bans and adjourned the trial to December 15, 2026.
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