Defense from Eylem Tok and her son's lawyer

The extradition case to Turkey for Timur Cihantimur, who was taken abroad by his mother, author Eylem Tok, following the accident in Istanbul's Kemerburgaz that resulted in the death of Oğuz Murat Aci, continues at the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

According to a report by VOA, Cihantimur's lawyer, Victoria Kelleher, argued in an additional petition submitted to the court for her client's conditional release on bail until the extradition case is concluded that her client's privacy was severely violated in video footage featured in the Turkish press.

Lawyer Kelleher recalled that at the time of her client's arrest, police performed a pat-down search over Cihantimur's clothing, and that these actions were included in the footage. In the petition submitted to the court yesterday, lawyer Kelleher stated, "My client's identity was revealed in the published footage. Furthermore, in the footage, a police officer tells 15-year-old Cihantimur to spread his legs during a pat-down search. It is also seen that the police officer searches Cihantimur's legs and hip area over his clothing while searching him. The publication of this video in the Turkish press and its reflection in the public domain is unlawful due to the extreme violation of Cihantimur's privacy as a minor."

Kelleher stated that according to the laws of the state of Massachusetts, where the case is being heard, the publication of video recordings involving minors involved in court cases without a court order is prohibited, and that this law aims to ensure that children have broad privacy rights, adding, "Federal laws, in a manner similar to state law, prohibit the dissemination of records involving children in cases. Since the Boston Police body camera footage was published in the Turkish press, his arrest and pat-down search have appeared on YouTube and various Turkish news channels. As Cihantimur's defense attorneys, we first became aware of the video footage through his father, who watched his son's video footage in the Turkish press and was exposed to it. Violations of Cihantimur's personality and privacy rights continue to persist."

EYLEM TOK TO FACE JUDGE

In the ongoing legal process in Boston, Cihantimur's mother, Eylem Tok, is expected to appear before a judge again on Monday. Tok's hearing, which was reported to be held on June 27, had been postponed to Monday, July 1, for an unknown reason. In a letter sent to the court, the U.S. Department of State stated that the nature of the crimes committed by Tok complies with the terms of the extradition treaty signed between the two countries.

News Source: 12punto