The first hearing opened in Istanbul on April 21, 2026, in the case of a German-Turkish family from Hamburg who died while on vacation in Turkey last November. The Böcek family — father Servet, mother Çiğdem and their two young children, aged 6 and 3 — fell gravely ill during their stay and later died in a local hospital.
An autopsy found that all four had been poisoned by pesticide. Prosecutors say the deaths resulted from an insect extermination that was improperly carried out on the hotel’s first floor. Six people have been charged with causing death through negligence, including the hotel owner and representatives of a pest control company; if convicted they face sentences of up to 22.5 years in prison.
The case has focused attention on hotel safety and pest-control practices in Turkey and prompted wider scrutiny of how fumigations and pesticide applications are managed in tourist accommodations. Turkish authorities investigated the incident last year, and the trial is the next step in determining criminal responsibility.
Relatives and German officials have followed developments closely. The deaths have raised concern among travelers and renewed calls for stricter regulation and oversight of pest control measures in hotels. The trial is expected to examine the procedures used during the extermination, who authorized it, what safety protocols were in place, and whether proper warnings and evacuations were carried out.