İZMİR - İzmir Bar Association filed a criminal complaint against the officials of the Presidency of Religious Affairs due to a fatwa issued regarding the children affected by the earthquake.

 

İzmir Bar Association, in its fatwa titled "Frequently Asked Questions from the Earthquake Zone" published on the official website of the Presidency of Religious Affairs on February 17, 2023, the lawyers filed a criminal complaint with the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the statements: "Can children in earthquakes be adopted? To the question, "Because of this relationship between the adopter and the adopted son, there is no barrier to marriage, nor is it permissible to register the adopted child in the lineage of the adopted children instead of their own parents. In addition, there is no right to inherit each other between the adopted child and the adopter."

 

Bar Association filed a criminal complaint against about the Presidency of Religious Affairs Ali Erbaş, the members of the Religious Affairs High Council of the Presidency of Religious Affairs and the suspects whose identities were determined during the investigation on regarding of "incitement to disobedience", "abuse of office", "abuse of religious services while on duty" and "irregular undertaking of public office".

 

'THE RIGHTS VIOLATION OF CHILDREN'

 

In the written statement regarding the criminal complaint, it was stated that the Directorate of Religious Affairs violated the Civil Code and the Child Protection Law and said: "It is clear that the sexual abuse of the child is of a nature that encourages the crime and constitutes a crime. It has become obligatory to make this criminal complaint."

 

QUESTIONS TO THE MINISTRY

 

In the statement, the following questions were asked to the Ministry of Family and Social Services:

 

* Are all of the children who have been searched by their families and relatives since 6 February 2023, the date of the earthquake, included in the data announced by the ministry?

 

* How many children are buried without identification?

 

* What kind of a way is followed to match the children whose identities cannot be determined and whose families cannot be reached with their relatives?

 

* How does the social media monitoring unit, which was reported to be established by the Ministry, work?