Soma court delays trial in 2014 mine disaster

A local court has postponed the trial of 28 public officials linked to the 2014 mining disaster in the western city of Manisa's Soma district that claimed the lives of 301 workers.

During the second hearing on Sept. 12, defendant lawyers requested a new expert report, while the families of the victims and their legal representatives urged the case's transfer to a heavy penal court.

Relatives argued that the charges of "misconduct in office" were insufficient, calling for more severe charges, given the incident resulted in multiple deaths and injuries.

The prosecutor presented a final opinion, rejecting the families' request for the court to issue a decision of non-jurisdiction. The court scheduled the next session for Dec. 25.

The public officials, identified as having neglected safety regulations in the mine, are currently being tried without arrest. The current trial came a decade after the disaster.

Initial efforts to prosecute the officials were blocked, prompting relatives of the victims to appeal to the Constitutional Court.

The top court allowed the trial to proceed in 2020, and the indictment was finalized last December.