Eylem Tok: Maternal instinct? Or a lack of conscience?

In an incident that occurred in Istanbul's Eyüpsultan district on March 1, 2024, at approximately 23:50, a jeep driven by 16-year-old T.C. struck three ATVs parked on the emergency lane due to a breakdown. The victim, Oğuz Murat Acı, lost his life in the accident, while four others were injured. Following the incident, it was determined that T.C. had fled to Egypt with his mother, the author Eylem Tok.

Minister of Justice Yılmaz Tunç announced on his X social media account that an arrest warrant had been issued for T.C. and Eylem Tok. In his statement, Minister Tunç said:

"The investigation into the traffic accident that occurred in Istanbul's Eyüpsultan district on 01.03.2024 at approximately 23:50, which resulted in the death of one person and the injury of four others, is being meticulously conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

Following the accident, an arrest warrant was issued by the Istanbul 7th Criminal Court of Peace for T.C., who is under 18, on charges of 'Causing death and injury to multiple persons by negligence,' and for his mother, the suspect Eylem Tok, on charges of 'Aiding and abetting a criminal.'

Contact has been made with Egyptian judicial authorities for the extradition of T.C. and his mother, who were determined to have flown to Egypt on 02.03.2024 at 03:50, and an extradition process has been initiated, with a Red Notice requested for the suspects. Upon notification by Interpol Egypt that the individuals had departed Egypt for the USA, the temporary arrest request documents prepared for their extradition from the USA to our country were transmitted to the competent US authorities through both diplomatic channels and Interpol.

The extradition process and the judicial investigation are being followed meticulously. I wish God's mercy upon our citizen who lost his life in the accident and a speedy recovery to our injured citizens.”

Meanwhile, certain allegations regarding the author Eylem Tok have surfaced, and, unsurprisingly, it has emerged that she is quite an 'ingenious' (!) author. Demet Cengiz, a columnist for the Tele1 newspaper, explained these allegations in her report:

“…Eylem Tok’s Instagram profile states she is the 'author of the bestseller Mihr.' Mihr was published by Hayy Kitap. One of the partners of the publishing house, Rauf Baysal, was Tok’s lover. After the distribution of the novel Mihr, Baysal bought all the books across Turkey within a week and placed the novel on the bestseller list. How do we know this? From a friend to whom he described how passionate a lover he was and the sacrifices he made for love. It is also alleged that Baysal himself wrote the novel. He had gifted it along with an Audi brand vehicle. A luxurious habit, it seems!

You were surprised when you heard about the phones collected from the accident scene and the escape abroad… I was not.

So who is this Baysal? This former lover, the owner of a publishing house that prints anti-vaccine books, was from the Süleymancı sect. When he died due to Covid-19, he left behind a baby only a few months old. His father-in-law, Mehmet Arıkan, a prominent leader of the Süleymancılar, and many others from the family also died from Covid-19 around the same time.

You found it difficult to put the Süleymancılar and Eylem Tok, known as a 'socialite author,' side by side, didn't you?

Don't struggle…”

The most painful part of this matter is seeing the impact of the law applied to the son of the Somali President on the public... I previously reported to you that if a foreigner hits someone in Turkey, the penalty is 27,300 TL. Now, we see the effect this incident has had on citizens and what the ineffectiveness of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) leads to. Now, someone else has smuggled their child abroad to benefit from the same practice when their own child caused an accident. This is very clear and obvious. For this reason, the deterrent effect of penalties must be increased immediately. However, 'fleeing' in this incident is an extremely wrong decision. Let us explain;

First of all, the son of the Somali President did not flee as a result of the accident. He was with the victim who was injured during the accident. However, because a diplomatic vehicle was used and for reasons currently under investigation regarding the police, the arrest warrant was issued late. In the meantime, the suspect left the country. During this time, certain agreements were made between the parties, and the victim's family was persuaded to withdraw their complaint. However, the situation in this incident is very different. Because the child who caused the accident is an unlicensed minor in the position of a child driven to crime. There is a crime of causing death and injury by negligence that he caused.

However, the real issue here is this: the child driven to crime, T.C., should have been surrendered directly to justice by his mother, Eylem Tok. Instead, Eylem Tok smuggled the child driven to crime first to Egypt and then to the USA, as her son is a US citizen. This is, above all, an example of heartlessness and a lack of conscience. Leaving the injured in that state at the scene of the accident is a separate tragedy. Furthermore, the collection of the injured victims' mobile phones, which delayed their ability to call for help, is a disaster. When the indictment is prepared, this situation could be grounds for judicial authorities not to apply provisions favorable to the child driven to crime. A person alleged to have committed a crime is expected to seek refuge in the justice of the Turkish judiciary, not to flee. Behavior during or after the commission of a crime will certainly be evaluated by judicial authorities. The law mandates this. Your child may have caused an accident, you may have had negligence, but regardless, one must surrender. As a result, a life was lost in the accident; as a mother, you cannot spoil your child by smuggling them abroad. In this state, it should be known that mother Eylem Tok will also be responsible for the events that will happen to T.C. tomorrow. In other words, the mother has not done her child a favor, but on the contrary, has done him a disservice.

The crime of aiding and abetting a criminal under Article 283 of the TCK does not find application in this case. Because according to the provision of Article 283 of the TCK, it is stated that if the crime of aiding and abetting is committed by an ascendant, descendant, spouse, sibling, or other accomplice of the criminal, no penalty shall be imposed. In other words, the law has established a personal exemption from punishment here. However, if there is an act such as the collection of mobile phones at the scene or the destruction, concealment, or alteration of evidence, an investigation must be initiated against mother Eylem Tok under Article 281 of the TCK regarding the crime of destroying, concealing, or altering criminal evidence. Especially if, as described in the public eye, the phone of the person who lost his life was taken—while he was in that injured state—causing the ambulance to reach him late, an investigation can be initiated for this reason as well.

Furthermore, it must be stated that the 16-year-old child driven to crime, T.C., also bears responsibility under Article 179 of the TCK for endangering traffic safety due to driving without a license. However, the primary crime for which T.C. should be tried should be within the scope of Article 85 of the TCK, the crime of causing death and injury by negligence. According to the relevant provision of the law, it is stated: "If the act has caused the death of more than one person, or the death of one or more persons together with the injury of one or more persons, the person shall be sentenced to imprisonment from two to fifteen years." By stating two to fifteen years in accordance with the provision of the law, a very significant area of discretion has been granted to judges. In the concrete case, the fact that the child driven to crime, T.C., caused the death of one person by negligence as a result of the accident, that 4 people were injured, and that his mother Eylem Tok subsequently smuggled the child driven to crime abroad may cause T.C. to receive a heavier sentence. Fleeing from justice in this way will certainly have a consequence.

I must state again that what needs to be done is not to send messages to the public such as "maternal instinct, please understand me too." The real thing that needs to be done is to surrender to the Turkish judiciary. One does not flee from the Turkish judiciary and justice. One must seek refuge in the mercy of judicial bodies and face the accident that occurred. Fleeing without being able to help the victims is a serious humanitarian problem.