Campaign poster of a smiling Erdogan overlooks earthquake wreckage

Arti Gercek reports that a building in Adiyaman overlooking the wreckage of the Isias Hotel, where 65 people died, including 25 student volleyball players, during the Maras earthquakes, had a campaign poster of President Tayyip Erdogan hanging on it. The poster facing the wreckage of the Isias Hotel, where a total of 35 “TRNC” citizens died, drew criticism from the Cypriot press.

The Cyprus Today newspaper featured a photograph from the scene that was sent to them on its front page and used the following statement:

"The photograph delivered to Cyprus Today which was taken yesterday shows a giant poster of a smiling President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the owner of the construction amnesties, which hangs on a building that survived the wreckage of the city. The photo taken by an Adiyaman citizen goes down in history as the picture of cruelty…”

65 people, including tour guides, died in the Isias Hotel during the earthquakes. Among these individuals, 25 were children and 35 were citizens from Northern Cyprus. It was revealed that the owner of the hotel, where unauthorized upper floors were constructed, had close ties with AKP officials. The Turkish Cypriot Administration had filed complaints against the hotel on behalf of the volleyball players from Gazimagusa Turkish Maarif College, and the owner of the hotel had been arrested.

During the earthquakes, a group of 43 people from the Tourist Guides Association was also staying at the hotel for training purposes.