An Istanbul court sentenced the son of the Somali president to a prison term converted into a fine of less than 1,000 euros for knocking down and killing a courier at the end of November in Istanbul, Turkish media reported Tuesday (January 16).
The court sentenced Mohammed Hassan Cheikh Mohamoud for “reckless homicide” to 2 years and six months in prison and converted this sentence to a fine of 27,300 Turkish liras (some 830 euros).
According to the police report cited by Turkish media, Mohammed Hassan Cheikh Mohamoud collided with a motorcycle courier in broad daylight, on November 30, 2023. Thrown violently onto the road, the victim, Yunus Emre Göcer, father of two children, died six days later in hospital.
The case caused a lot of emotion in Turkey because the suspect was initially released without judicial supervision and left the country. An international arrest warrant was later issued against him. Mohammed Hassan Cheikh Mohamoud subsequently returned to Turkey to attend a first hearing of the trial.
The victim’s widow withdrew her complaint at the end of December after speaking by telephone with the Somali president, Turkish media reported. For around ten years, Turkey has maintained close relations with Somalia, a “brother country” of 17 million predominantly Muslim inhabitants in the Horn of Africa, of which it is the main economic partner, particularly in the areas of construction, education, health and military cooperation.
