Trial in Istanbul: Lengthy Prison Sentences After Death of Hamburg Family from Insecticide Poisoning

The judge cited "conscious negligent homicide" as the reason. The defendants' lawyers pleaded for acquittal. The family's lawyer, Yasar Balci, had called for punishment for intentional homicide.

The Course of the Tragedy

The parents and their two young children had traveled to Turkey for a vacation last year. The father, mother, and two small children from Hamburg were admitted to the hospital in mid-November while on vacation in Istanbul with complaints such as vomiting and nausea, and subsequently died. All four family members died one after another in quick succession.

Authorities initially suspected food poisoning. However, a later expert opinion reached a different conclusion: the cause of death was poisoning from an insecticide used in the hotel for pest control, as a subsequent expert report determined. According to a medical report, they suffered poisonings from insecticides at their accommodation.

Reaction of the Relatives

The brother of the deceased father spoke to dpa about the verdict. He considers 18 years to be a "gerechte Strafe" (just punishment). With this statement, he expressed his satisfaction with the sentences handed down to the company owner and his son.

The report was distributed via the dpa news channel and broadcast on June 26, 2026 on the Deutschlandfunk program. The case thus also received attention in German-language broadcasting.

Legal Status

The verdict is not yet final; the convicted parties can still appeal. As such, the legal conclusion of the proceedings remains open.