Families of the victims and lawyers gathered at Özgür Çocuk Parkı in Akdeniz district with victims’ photographs and placards. (AA Photo)
Relatives of the victims who died in a ferry sinking off Turkish Cyprus have filed a criminal complaint in the southern province of Mersin, demanding a Turkish trial and formal inquiry into accountability.
Families and lawyers gathered at Özgür Çocuk Parkı in Akdeniz district with victims’ photographs and placards before petitioning the Mersin Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Lawyer Berkan Aydoğan sought evidence on duties, authority, known risks, decisions and possible failures before the voyage. “Our aim is to ensure evidence is not lost and links to responsibility in Türkiye are investigated,” he said. He requested judicial cooperation with Turkish Cyprus and preservation of company registration and representation records, maintenance documents, technical reports, inspection records, correspondence and voyage communications.
Aydoğan noted that while they have monitored the proceedings in Turkish Cyprus, a lack of information remains a concern. Describing the local inquiry as sluggish, he asserted that existing evidence is sufficient to launch a prosecution in Mersin, clarifying that this legal action remains separate from ongoing proceedings against the ferry’s captains, crew and general director in Turkish Cyprus.
Lawyer Yusuf Gümüş called for a full investigation. Gökmen Gönül sought an exhumation, saying he believed his son Özgür was not in his grave. Salim Hilaloğlu said his daughter Anni Asel, 3, had been missing for 66 days.
The Filo Jet high-speed ferry was sailing from the Turkish Cypriot port of Girne to Mersin’s Taşucu Port on Aug. 30 when it began taking water at the bow shortly after departure around noon. It sank while trying to return to Girne. The disaster killed 27 people, with one body still unrecovered.
