US tourist who says he picked up stones on Turkish beach faces smuggling charges

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

US tourist who says he picked up stones on Turkish beach faces smuggling charges
AP Journalist Suzan Fraser

Why my family needs your help - The legal issues, restrictions, fines, and possible punishments

"Turkish law has a broad definition of "antiquities" and makes it a crime to remove any from the country.

All historic sites such as fortresses, castles and ruins, and everything in them or on the grounds or in the water, are the property of the Turkish government. While many sites do not have signs cautioning the unwary, official silence does not mean official consent."
Excerpt from the US Embassy Website - Ankara, Turkey

I was detained by Police Officials on 14 April at the Antalya Airport for attempting to leave the country with two stones from the beach they considered historical.

On 15 April I was brought before a judge at a preliminary court hearing.

The maximum penalty for smuggling cultural/historical artifacts out of Turkey is 5 years of prison and up to 300 million Turkish Lira. I did not leave the country since I was detained at the airport so the maximum sentence is reduced to 1 year and three months in prison (I'm not certain what the maximum fine is since no Consulate or Lawyer has informed me)

On 15 April, the judge reviewed photos of the rocks I took from the beach and afterwards, made a decision to show mercy and did not place me under arrest. She placed a travel ban on me for an undetermined period of time. During this time I am not allowed to leave the country of Turkey. She was awaiting an official report from a museum historian that will weigh in on the true value of the "artifact" I am being accused of attempting to smuggle, and this will be a huge factor in the next phase of my court struggle. (Edit: the final investigative report stated that the stones "May" have been from the Roman Era. This means that the stones are old and at some point in history, humans had modified them. It does not however, imbue the stones with any significance.)

The US Embassy/Consulate in Ankara Turkey translated my court documents over the phone and explained to me what the documents said. They recommended that I find an English speaking lawyer to represent me. Without a lawyer and an official court appearance, my travel ban will never be lifted. There is no mechanism in place to remove it automatically after seven days. I must go before the court again with lawyer representation and make my final plea before facing whatever judgement is dealt.

I obtained a lawyer with help from the Legal Office at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey. They recommended a lawyer who accepted my case (cost details found at the link on top of my blog)

In the meantime, so that I have a means of communicating with my family, friends, and the internet, I am staying at a hotel in Antalya that I am paying for at my own expense. The deportation hostel provided by the Turkish government is run down and has no amenities. There's no way I would be able to accomplish the things I need to do in order to get back home. If I have to travel here in Turkey, I must pay a cab driver which gets to be expensive.

Once I am finally free to leave Turkey, I must still purchase a flight back home. The tickets I'd previously had for my original departure were non refundable.

I will be maintaining a list of links to Relevant Websites to show laws and information regarding my situation in order to verify the truthfulness of my situation and to help others who may find themselves in the same position.

Who is Jason Dement?

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Wednesday, April 17, 2013

US tourist who says he picked up stones on Turkish beach faces smuggling charges

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