An explosion in 2014 at a mine in Soma, located in the western province of Manisa, left 301 workers dead. The explosion and subsequent fire were blamed on lax safety procedures at the mine and the Turkish government came under strong criticism for their handling of the affair.
The crowds gathered near a monument dedicated to the victims carried banners, which read “Not an accident, a crime,” “Those responsible for Soma will be held to account,” and “We don’t want to die at work.”
Union representatives underlined that justice had not been served with the Turkish judiciary’s handling of the case and they would continue to push for the justice.
Following a trial that lasted four years, several board members of the Soma Coal Management Corporation were handed lengthy prison sentences in July of last year.
Chairman of the board for the company, Can Gürkan, was released in April after receiving a 15-year prison sentence for manslaughter.
Nine other suspects in the case have been released with judicial controls, and 37 have been acquitted.