Following the decision to extradite Eylem Tok and Timur Cihantimur, the duo responsible for the accident in Istanbul that led to the death of Oğuz Murat Aci, Eylem Tok’s lawyer applied to halt the extradition process. The court postponed Eylem Tok’s extradition to Turkey temporarily.

In Istanbul, Eylem Tok, who took her son Timur Cihantimur, responsible for Oğuz Murat Aci’s death, to the US, had her lawyer Jennifer M. submit a petition requesting a 60-day suspension of the process to the court. The petition argued that temporarily suspending the extradition was a legal necessity and emphasized that Tok needed additional time to fully exercise her legal rights.

CLAIMS OF “DEATH THREATS”
In the petition submitted by Eylem Tok’s lawyer, it was claimed that Tok would face serious risks if extradited to Turkey, alleging that Tok and her family had received death threats in Turkey, and the possibility of these threats becoming a reality was high if she were extradited. The petition stated that this situation posed a great danger in terms of human rights and mentioned that the court’s decision to temporarily halt the process would be crucial. It was argued in the petition that issues such as whether the alleged mobile phone Tok received constituted evidence and whether the accusations were in line with the extradition agreement should be discussed in court.

PROSECUTOR EXPLAINS US GOVERNMENT’S POSITION

The prosecutor leading the case, Kristen Kearney, explained the US government’s stance on the process.

Prosecutor Kearney stated that the US Department of State announced that there would be no order for Tok and her son to be handed over to Turkey despite the court’s approval, and the extradition would not occur for 28 days. During this period, Tok and Cihantimur would be given the opportunity to exercise their legal right to appeal.
The prosecution’s petition stated that Eylem Tok and Timur Cihantimur had 28 days to appeal the court’s extradition decision, and if a Habeas Corpus petition was filed within this period, the extradition process would not proceed without the court evaluating this petition.

However, if the court rejects the Habeas petition, the US Department of State could issue a delivery order for Tok and her son’s extradition.

Regarding the delivery details, it was noted that unless the court made any contrary decisions, the extradition process could take place at any time from this point on. JUDGE’S DECISION Following the prosecutor’s petition, Judge Donald L. Cabell entered an electronic decision in the case.

In the details of the decision, it was stated that “The court will sign and send the approval and commitment document for Eylem Tok’s extradition to the Department of State. However, the US Department of State will not hand Tok over to Turkey for 28 days from the date the document is recorded.

If Tok files a Habeas Corpus petition within this period, the US government will not advance the extradition process without the court evaluating this petition.”