Owner of Mado restaurant threatens earthquake victim

İsmail Arı

Three years have passed since the February 6, 2023, earthquake based in Maraş, yet justice has still not been served. While many earthquake-related lawsuits have been ongoing for three years, the Manolya Apartments case in Maraş has become the scene of a threat. It is alleged that the demolition of the Manolya Apartments was caused by renovations at Tarhanacı Café, whose partners include the Kanbur family, owners of Mado. It is known that Atilla and Mehmet Sait Kanbur, the owners of Mado who are being tried without detention in the case, have met with AKP President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on multiple occasions.

The prosecutor's and the earthquake victims' “request for judicial supervision of the defendants not in custody” was rejected at the final hearing of the case held on March 31, 2026. The court filed a criminal complaint against the panel of experts who had announced their withdrawal from the case. During the hearing, it emerged that Mustafa Müdüroğlu, an attorney and earthquake victim who lost his family at Manolya Site, had been threatened. Attorney Müdüroğlu prepared a statement regarding the incident, noting that it was not recorded in the court transcript. In the statement he prepared, Müdüroğlu stated that he had been threatened by defendant Mehmet Sait Kanbur, saying:

"I practice law as a member of the Kahramanmaraş Bar Association. During the March 31, 2026, hearing of the case currently being heard at the Kahramanmaraş 4th High Criminal Court, as I was preparing to leave the courtroom after the hearing concluded, defendant Mehmet Sait Kanbur blocked my path and said, ‘You’re making things up out of thin air. ‘You’ll see what happens when I get fed up with you,’ thereby insulting me and openly threatening me. When I brought these events to light in court, the defendant Kanbur was removed from the courtroom. Since this incident of threat and insult was not recorded in the court transcript, I recorded it myself." Attorney Müdüroğlu filed a criminal complaint against the defendant Kanbur.

Correspondent's Note:

I was unlawfully imprisoned simply for doing my job as a journalist. I wrote this report while in prison. No matter where I am, I will continue to stand in solidarity with those who face injustice and lawlessness, especially earthquake victims and who are fighting for justice.

Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Mado’nun patronundan depremzedeye tehdit, published in BirGün newspaper on April 6, 2026.