Commemoration in Kadıköy on the third anniversary of the 6 February earthquakes

At an event organised by the Families in Pursuit of Justice Platform, those who lost their lives in the 6 February earthquakes were commemorated in Kadıköy İskele Square on the third anniversary of the disaster. At the event, families and citizens who gathered in the square once again called for those responsible to be brought before the courts.

“WE PUT OUR GRIEF ASIDE”

Döne Kaya, spokesperson for the Families in Pursuit of Justice Platform, said in her statement that, on the third anniversary, they wanted to hold a commemoration in a different city from the earthquake zone. “Because the earthquake zone is still feeling and continuing the same psychological and physical hardship as on the first day. From that day to this, we have been waging a struggle for justice for the loved ones we lost,” Kaya said, continuing as follows:

“This platform was established around two to three months after the earthquake. We put our grief aside and for three years we have been seeking justice in courtrooms. Unfortunately, the justice we want has not come for three years. This judicial system that has been going on for three years pushes us into despair but we do not give up. We will continue the struggle because the struggle itself will be justice. According to official figures, we lost at least 53,000 people. We suffered more losses. Without holding those responsible to account, unfortunately we will not be able to hold commemorations that can honour them. This earthquake was not fate. It was not unforeseen at all. This earthquake happened because institutions that deliberately failed to take precautions even though it was foreseen did not act. Why do I say this? Because Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), the governorates in the region and the ministries stated in reports they prepared with experts between 2020 and 2021 that this earthquake would happen. There are people who said that, in the worst-case scenario, an earthquake of 7.5 could be expected in this region. We experienced earthquakes of 7.2. So this earthquake was foreseen but precautions were not taken. Because not only in the reports they prepared but also what experts in the field said was ‘this was an expected earthquake.’ That is why this was not fate. It certainly was not the disaster of the century. For this reason, it is not only contractors who need to be prosecuted. Because the judicial system currently shows us this as if the only culprit is the contractor. Building inspection, civil engineers, every unit among municipal staff, council members, those who enabled buildings to be built and opened in that area, mayors, every member in the Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation, the Minister of Environment and Urbanisation, each of these is responsible one by one.”

“DELAYED JUSTICE IS NOT JUSTICE”

Lawyer Seher Eriş said that serious legal problems have been experienced in the trials that have been ongoing for three years. Stressing that the earthquake was a foreseeable risk, Eriş said, “Despite these risks, no precautions were taken and people lost their lives. For this reason, those responsible must be brought before the courts.”

Eriş said that those who designed the building, those responsible during the construction process, the building inspection and control mechanisms and all administrative institutions that granted permits bear responsibility, and also drew attention to “amnesty for zoning violations”. Eriş said, “The zoning amnesty is the legalisation, in exchange for money, of buildings for which it is not possible to issue permits. Even this regulation itself describes a chain of crimes.”

Eriş said that many case files could not move to the trial stage because governorates did not give permission to investigate public personnel, adding, “For three years, delayed trials, delayed justice, is not justice.” Saying that defendants took refuge in the claim in their defences that the earthquake was fate, Eriş stressed that the trials should be conducted not for “negligence” but for “probable intent”.

“WE WILL REMEMBER OUR LOVED ONES WITH LONGING”

Speaking on behalf of the Families in Pursuit of Justice Platform, Eren Can said:

“Today, we are in a pain for which words are not enough. Being side by side, shouldering each other’s grief, reminds us that we are not carrying this pain alone. Our sorrow does not subside. But this sorrow turns into a silent strength that grows as it is shared. Into a solidarity that keeps us standing because we can lean on one another. With the carnations we leave today, we will remember our loved ones whom we sent off into eternity with longing in every moment we breathe, with every step we take. Since 6 February not a single night has passed when we could sleep without thinking about the fear our loved ones experienced, that never-ending wait. How could we forget? Who can forget what you did and what you said? What darkness can make us forget? Who can make us forget what happened and what is happening? Can fear make us forget? Will life, oppression or death make us forget? No, no darkness can make us forget you. While we were being crushed again by the weight of our loved ones who remained under walls that collapsed on top of them every night, we were forced to think about how the killers could live in peace without shame. While we lived with the shame of this injustice, those who should have been ashamed continued to live in the comfort of injustice. This crime was called ‘fate’. It was ignored. We will not be condemned to this evil imposed by calling it fate. We know that the future will be shaped not by those who remain silent but by those who resist without forgetting their grief, by us families who draw justice out of pain. There is no giving up, no forgetting, no forgiving, no making peace. Our word is our word. Today and tomorrow. I want to end my speech with these lines by Şükrü Erbaş. ‘If only the smell had a photograph. A photograph of the voice. A photograph of the emptiness. Of the ant at the fingertips, of the chill in the soul... Death would not leave anyone this alone’. With these lines, we call out to our beloved ones, whom we will never forget: We love you very much and we miss you. What you did, what you said…”

“MY MUM AND DAD DON’T EVEN HAVE A GRAVE”

Yiğit Göktuğ Torun, who lost his mother and father in the Cemil Çapar Apartment building in the 6 February earthquakes, said:

“In the 6 February earthquakes, I lost my mum and my dad, my cousin and many people I loved. Just now it was said that on 6 February people will go to graves and commemorations will be held there. I don’t even have a grave. My mum and dad don’t have a grave. My mum and dad are not even dead. Because we had to wait a year to be able to get a death certificate. There was a declaration of disappearance. There are thousands of people like me with losses. In Hatay, in Adıyaman, in Maraş, thousands of people dealt with a lot of bureaucratic obstacles. They are still dealing with them. On top of that, even though we don’t have a grave, our search for justice continues. We are exhausted materially and spiritually. For three years we have been tired of telling our story in courtrooms, tired of talking about our pain. We are still talking. Why do we continue? Because even where we are today is an earthquake zone. We live in İstanbul. There is no escape from here, no escape from earthquakes. We are trying so that maybe justice will come, maybe people will feel a bit of shame and regret and will not make others experience these pains again. As the lawyers said, in those courtrooms victims are blamed. Victims are treated badly. The defendants we face are only contractors but in fact all public personnel need to be prosecuted. I do not accept this. Our responsibility for justice after those we lost is that justice is done so that they cannot cause it again. So that no one is left without a grave in this country again. They call it a natural disaster for the earthquake but we see in the reports that this was a preventable disaster. We could have prevented this. We might not have had so many deaths. Maybe we would not have lived through these pains. But because the necessary responsibilities were not taken, we experienced these deaths. We tasted this pain. We are trying so that it does not happen again. Every 6 February our hearts truly ache. We don’t even feel like talking. We talk. Because these pains must not happen again. Do not leave us alone. Because it happened to us today but this is knocking on everyone’s door in Turkey. That is why we need to be together and we need to follow the process in these earthquake cases together so that other families do not experience these pains. Because it really is very heavy.”

“I STILL HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO SHED THOSE TEARS”

Selman Demirci, who lost his wife and two children in the Akgül Apartment building in Adıyaman, described what he went through in the earthquake. Saying that the bodies were recovered on the fourth day, Demirci said:

“I lost my wife and my two children in the earthquake. When I reached there twenty-four hours after the earthquake, it was the fourth day as they were pulling my loved ones out of that rubble. I still haven’t been able to shed those tears. Because there was no one there. There were only friends, people who came from outside, I had to help. And there were 15 lives in the building. Until all of these lives were recovered, I found myself inside the struggle there. When my bodies were recovered, unfortunately I was trying to arrange the hearse, the burial place and the digger by phone. Then I thought about where we could take the people who had relatives there, where we would sleep. Because there was no water, no electricity, no food. Aid that came was dropping at certain points and was not reaching the places it needed to reach. On the one hand we were trying to organise that. They told me ‘you are very strong’. Actually I am not strong. I still haven’t been able to let out that scream. I remained very weak. They saw me as strong but I had to be strong there and I still haven’t been able to shed my tears. While we were pulling our loved ones out of the rubble at the moment of the earthquake, we talked with friends about this: when we go to İstanbul, what can we do for the İstanbul earthquake? We still had our loved ones under the rubble, yes. We remained inside that struggle. That is why we want support from everyone. From all the people, from all of İstanbul, we want support.”

Note: This article is translated from the original article titled 6 Şubat depremlerinin üçüncü yılında Kadıköy'de anma: Sorumlular yargılansın çağrısı, published in BirGün newspaper on February 2, 2026.