Turkish court sentences hotel owner and pest-control executive to prison for poisoning German family

A Turkish court in Istanbul on Friday sentenced the hotel owner and a pest-control firm executive to 13 years and four months and 18 years in prison respectively for the poisoning death of a four-member German family during a holiday in Turkey last year. The verdict, delivered on 26 June 2026, found the two men guilty of “conscious negligent homicide” after prosecutors proved that an unauthorised pesticide had been sprayed in their hotel room in the resort town of Alanya, causing fatal organ failure.

The court also convicted two additional defendants, handing down shorter sentences of 10 years and eight months to a hotel manager and 7 years and six months to a technician from the pest-control company. All four accused were taken into custody immediately after the verdict was read. The ruling follows a six-week trial that heard toxicology reports showing lethal concentrations of chlorpyrifos, a banned organophosphate, in the blood of the parents and their two children, aged nine and six.

Relatives of the victims, who live in Hamburg, told reporters outside the courthouse that they considered the sentences a measure of justice, though they acknowledged the pain would never fully recede. “We are relieved that the court has recognised the scale of the negligence,” said a spokesperson for the family. Defence lawyers for the hotel owner and the pest-control executive announced they would file appeals within the statutory 15-day window, arguing that the prosecution had failed to prove direct intent.

The case has spotlighted systemic failures in Turkey’s hospitality sector, where unregulated pest-control practices remain widespread despite national and EU safety directives. Industry watchdogs note that chlorpyrifos, though banned for indoor use in the European Union since 2020, is still applied in some Turkish resorts due to weak enforcement and cost pressures. “This tragedy shows how easily profit can override safety,” said a toxicologist from the University of Istanbul, who testified for the prosecution. Turkish tourism officials have pledged stricter inspections and mandatory certification for pest-control operators, but campaigners warn that without judicial follow-through, similar incidents could recur.

The verdict arrives amid heightened scrutiny of holiday safety after a spate of high-profile poisoning cases involving German tourists in Mediterranean destinations. German foreign ministry officials said they would review the ruling and consider whether additional bilateral measures are needed to protect travellers. The court’s full written judgment is expected within two weeks.