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, their 6-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter — fell violently ill during their stay and later died in a local hospital.
An autopsy determined the four had been poisoned by pesticide. Prosecutors allege 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. They face sentences of up to 22.5 years in prison if convicted.
The case has drawn attention to 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 marks the next step in determining criminal responsibility.
Relatives and officials from Germany have followed developments closely. The deaths provoked concern among travelers and renewed calls for stricter regulation and oversight of pest control measures in hotels to prevent similar tragedies. The trial is expected to examine procedures used during the extermination, who authorized it, safety protocols in place, and whether proper warnings and evacuations were conducted.
