Turkey sentences 4 for attack that killed German tourists
April 6, 2021
A court has sentenced four men to life for their roles in a 2016 suicide bombing in central Istanbul that killed 12 German tourists. Eighteen other suspects were acquitted on the grounds of a lack of evidence.
The 2016 attack was blamed on the so-called Islamic State, but the extremist group never claimed responsibilityImage: Getty Images/C. Erok
Turkey's government blamed the so-called Islamic State for the incident, but the group has never claimed responsibility.
Four suspects receive life sentences
The four suspects, already in jail, received aggravated life sentences. The Istanbul court that handed out the sentences ruled that the attack represented "an attempt to violently overthrow the constitutional order," the private DHA news agency reported.
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Aggravated life sentences are the most severe prison terms possible in Turkey since it abolished the death penalty in 2002; there is no chance for parole.
Additionally, each was also sentenced to 328 years for aiding deliberate murder with terrorist intent, among other charges, according to state news agency Anadolu.
A long-running court case
Tuesday's sentences are final after an appeals court overturned a 2018 verdict against a total of 26 suspects.
One further suspect was sentenced to over six years in jail for membership in a terrorist organization.
The court acquitted 18 further suspects, citing lack of evidence.
Museum, church or mosque? The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul
The Hagia Sophia, with its massive dome and four minarets, is nearly 1,500 years old. Turkey's top court has now paved the way for the museum to be reconverted to a mosque.
Image: picture-alliance/Marius Becker
Architectural milestone
In 532, Roman Emperor Justinian ordered the construction of an awe-inspiring church in his residence Constantinople — "one that has never existed since Adam's time, and one that will never exist again". Roughly 10,000 workers were involved in the construction work. For a millennium, the Bosporus basilica remained Christendom’s biggest church.
Image: imago/blickwinkel
The coronation church of Byzantium
Justinian is said to have invested almost 150 tons of gold into the construction of the Hagia Sophia. The building was in need of some corrections though: At first, the cupola was too flat and caved in during earthquakes. The Hagia Sophia — "Holy Wisdom" — soon came to be used as the Roman Empire's official church. From the 7th century onwards, almost all Byzantine emperors were crowned there.
Image: Getty Images
Transformation of a church into a mosque
The year 1453 saw the end of Byzantine rule in Constantinople. After conquering the City, Sultan Mehmet II of the Ottoman Empire turned the Hagia Sophia into a mosque. Crosses were exchanged for crescents, bells and altars destroyed or removed, mosaics and frescoes painted over. The addition of the first minaret completed the transformation into a mosque.
Image: public domain
A mosque turned into a museum
The founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, turned the Hagia Sophia into a museum in 1934. During the very sumptuous restoration works, old Byzantine mosaics were excavated. On July 10, 2020, a Turkish top court annulled the 1934 decree, according to reports by state news agency Anadolu, clearing the way for it to be reconverted into a mosque.
Image: AP
Islam on a par with Christianity
The eventful history of the Hagia Sophia is visible everywhere. The letterings "Mohamed" (left) and "Allah" (right) flank the Virgin Mary with the Infant Jesus on her lap (in the back). The Hagia Sophia has been a World Heritage Site since 1985.
Image: Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images
Byzantian icons
The most splendid mosaic in the Hagia Sophia is a work of art from the 14th century which had been excavated on the wall of the southern gallery. Even though it could not be fully restored, the faces are clearly discernible: Jesus as the ruler of the world is depicted in the middle accompanied by Mary to his left and John to his right.
Image: STR/AFP/Getty Images
The Orthodox Christians' perspective
Bartholomew I, the Patriarch of Constantinople, and honorary head of all Orthodox Christians, has also laid claim to the Hagia Sophia. He is opposed to converting the building into a mosque. Since 1934 the Hagia Sophia has had the status of a museum, it should serve as a "place and symbol of meeting, dialogue and peaceful coexistence of peoples and cultures."
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Soon a mosque again?
Turkey's top administrative court has annulled the decades-old government decree turning the Hagia Sophia into a museum, paving the way for the UNESCO World Heritage site building's restoration to mosque status, despite international warnings against such a move. It is one of the most visited monuments in Turkey.
Image: picture-alliance/Marius Becker
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Meanwhile, a trial in absentia will continue against three suspects who are fugitives, Anadolu said.
In 2018, Turkish judges sentenced three Syrian nationals to life in prison for their involvement in the bombing. But an appeals court overturned that verdict for several reasons, including that the sentences were deemed too lenient.
The court did not state the nationality of those handed the sentences on Tuesday.
Turkey witnessed several attacks in 2016 blamed either on Islamic State or Kurdish militants.
