Mother who lost son in Çorlu train crash faces new 'insulting public official' charges
A Turkish prosecutor's office pressed new charges against Mısra Öz Sel, the mother of the Çorlu train accident's youngest victim, for "insulting public officials." The indictment cited her courtroom remarks and criticism. Öz previously received a fine for similar accusations.
Duvar English
A Turkish Public Prosecutor’s Office on Jan. 25 prepared an indictment accusing Mısra Öz, who lost her 9-year-old son Oğuz Arda Sel in the Çorlu train crash, of “insulting a public official."
The indictment was accepted by the Çorlu 3rd Criminal Court of First Instance.
The first hearing of the case against Öz was held on January 23. Complainant R.M., a judicial inspector at the Justice Ministry, stated he could not attend the hearing, did not file a complaint, and had no request to participate in the trial. The hearing was adjourned following the presentation of the prosecutor’s opinion on the case.
Öz reacted to the prosecutor’s demand for her conviction, saying, “We are dying, children and adults alike, because of negligence. We want to see an independent judiciary in front of us. They should focus on the real culprits. Let grieving mothers have peace. Everyone will need justice—let them not forget that.”
In the initial case against Öz, the court alleged that she committed the crime of insulting public officials following a hearing on June 25, 2020.
After a police officer began filming her, she reportedly said, “Film, don’t hesitate. They are all clowns of the palace. They are all playing the three monkeys. I am Mısra Öz, the mother of Oğuz Arda Sel. Film me! These judges made me a suspect because I said they were playing the three monkeys. They are exonerating murderers. They cannot even arrest a single person. My child is dead—my child! Film, all of you. I can be a suspect. I can even go to prison, but they are a disgrace.”
The Çorlu Train Accident
On July 8, 2018, in western Turkey's Tekirdağ province, seven children and 25 people were killed, and more than 300 were injured, when several passenger train cars derailed on the Uzunköprü-Istanbul route.
In the accident, Öz lost her 9-year-old son, Oğuz Arda Sel. She was previously charged with “insulting public officials due to their duties” and fined 8,840 Turkish liras.