US court delays hearings of Turkish suspects of Istanbul hit-and-run

 NEW YORK JUN 19, 2024 – 2:00 PM GMT+3

Members of the Turkish diaspora hold a placard demanding justice for the death of Oğuz Murat Aci in a hit-and-run involving Timur Cihantimur as Cihantimur’s hearing proceeds at a courthouse, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., June 18, 2024. (AA Photo)

AUnited States court on Tuesday postponed the hearings of two Turkish suspects who were involved in a deadly hit-and-run accident in Istanbul earlier this year.

On June 14, Eylem Tok and her son Timur Cihantimur were detained by U.S. authorities upon the request of Türkiye. They appeared in court in Boston, Massachusetts on Tuesday.

Chief Magistrate Judge Donald Cabell postponed the hearing of Cihantimur, who appeared in court wearing beige prisoner overalls and was brought to the courthouse by two security guards, until June 20.

The lawyer for 17-year-old Cihantimur, who appeared before the court on charges of “involuntary manslaughter and injury,” asked the court to change his client’s place of detention because he was not satisfied with the conditions at the juvenile detention center where he was being held.

While Judge Cabell ruled for Cihantimur to remain detained until the second hearing, there was no further information about any change in his place of detention.

Cihantimur’s lawyer also argued that his client needs to stay in the U.S. to continue his education because he is an American citizen as a reason to reject an extradition request by Türkiye.

Unlike his mother, Cihantimur was not wearing handcuffs when leaving the courthouse as he is under the age of 18.

Tok, who first appeared before the judge in the morning and whose hearing was postponed to June 27, was brought to the court in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs.

Türkiye requested Tok’s extradition from the U.S. on charges of “harboring or concealing persons.”

On March 1, three all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) were traveling in Istanbul’s European side district Eyüpsultan when one of them broke down. Cihantimur, who was driving his parents’ SUV without a license, crashed into the three ATVs, injuring five people. One of them, Oğuz Murat Aci, later succumbed to his injuries.

Cihantimur fled the scene of the accident with his mother in her vehicle and traveled to Egypt and then to the U.S.

Temporary arrest request documents for their extradition were forwarded to U.S. authorities by Türkiye’s Justice Ministry.

Aci’s family wants Eylem Tok to surrender to justice in Türkiye but say they would rather see her “in handcuffs.”

The case made headlines across Türkiye for months, with protests demanding Tok and her son’s extradition from the U.S.

“I thank our justice minister for standing by us (in this case),” Özer Aci, Oğuz Murat Aci’s father, said Sunday. “It was hard but I didn’t have to fight alone.”

“It doesn’t matter to me whether (Cihantimur) is extradited or jailed in the U.S. or here,” he said. “What matters is that justice is served.”