JINHA

MANİSA – In the trial of those responsible for workplace neglect that resulted in the massacre of 301 workers in the Soma mine, defendants' testimonies have revealed that the mine did not comply with safety standards in several key ways.

On May 13 2014, a mining fire started in the Soma mine in the small town of Soma in the Aegean region of Turkey as a result of insufficient safety protections, resulting in the deaths of 301 workers. After the struggle of families and their allies, 45 defendants have been put on trial, the eight most senior being tried under arrest.

Hearings started in April 13, but when the families of miners objected to the fact that top defendants were being teleconferenced in rather than appearing in person, they succeeded in having the case delayed to April 15 while the judge ordered that the defendants be produced in person.

TheAkhisar High Court heard the testimony of top personnel at Soma Mining, Inc., and the families of the miners were back in force with their characteristic t-shirts that read "we didn't and we won't forget the 301" and mining helmets bearing the names of those who died in the massacre.

The hearings have been tightly controlled, with only lawyers, PMs and immediate family members being allowed in to the courtroom. According to information shared by Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD) on their Twitter account, Shift Supervisor Mehmet Ali Günay Çelik first said a fire broke out in the mine. However, later in his testimony, he said that no fire had broken out. Among the defendants who testified yesterday, operating manager Akın Çelik and assistant operating manager İsmail Adalı had said that the fire allegations were false.

When Mehmet Ali Günay Çelik, echoing previous defendants, said he believed deceased deputy employer Mehmet Efe was responsible for the disaster, the chief judge asked whether Mehmet Efe was the sole responsible party in a mine of that size and what problems the supervisor mentioned to Mehmet Efe.The shift supervisor replied that he never brought any problems to Mehmet Efe.

After Çelik’s examination, the court proceeded to examine shift supervisor Yasin Kurnaz. Asserting he is a Class-B Occupational Safety Specialist, Yasin pointed out that there are three Class-B and six Class-C Occupational Safety Specialists at the mine, but no Class-A Occupational Safety Specialists, even though this is mandatory for mines. Occupational Safety Specialists' class categorization depends on experience in the field. The number and class of specialists mandatory for each workplace varies by how dangerous the work environment is.

Admitting that he did not even know where the heat sensor was, he claimed that there had not been any complaints about ventilation in the mine. Both witnesses and plaintiffs have previously noted the complaints made about inadequate ventilation.

(nt/cm)