In a recent interview with Medyascope, widow Öznur Göçer and attorney Iyaz Çimen spoke on the tragic death of Yunus Emre Göçer, a motorcycle courier who lost his life in a collision with a vehicle driven by Muhammed Hassan Şeyh Mohamud, the son of Somali President Hasan Şeyh Mohamud. Göçer, now left alone to fend for her two special needs children, alleges an attempted cover-up by the authorities to shield the President’s son from legal consequences. Attorney Çimen states that the legal complexities of the case and the lack of extradition treaties between Somalia and Turkey render Mohamud’s prosecution unlikely.
In a tragic incident near Istanbul’s Eurasia Tunnel on Thursday, November 30th, Muhammed Hassan Şeyh Mohamud, the son of Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, was involved in a collision that resulted in the death of motorcycle courier Yunus Emre Göçer (38). Following the incident, Mohamud was allegedly released by the authorities on the spot and subsequently fled the country. The Turkish Ministry of Justice has now announced that it has issued a demand for the Somali President’s son’s extradition.
“His heart was still beating”
Speaking to Medyascope, Öznur Göçer revealed that she learned of her husband Yunus Emre Göçer’s hospitalization while waiting to pick up one of their special needs children at a rehabilitation center. Upon arriving at the hospital, Göçer encountered many of her husband’s colleagues who had rushed to the hospital. Göçer stated that she was not immediately made aware that her husband was in critical condition and that the hospital lacked the intensive care facilities to address his injuries adequately.
Describing her brief encounter with her husband, Göçer noted, “He was kept in the Red Zone of the hospital and was intubated. Yes, fine, they did their best to save him, but why would you bring him to a hospital without an intensive care unit? His heart was still beating at that time, but there was no brain activity. He had six broken bones and had suffered severe head trauma. His helmet flew off his head when he [Mohamud] hit him, and then he ran him over.”
“Whoever he called, had him released right away”
Göçer claims to have seen Mohamud on CCTV footage speaking on the phone immediately following the incident, stating, “Whoever he called, had him released right away. They didn’t even take him to the police station.”
Öznur Göçer alleges that following the incident, the authorities informed her that her husband’s death was a suicide and issued a report to that effect. Göçer further alleges that the authorities attempted to subvert her at every turn, her husband only being unequivocally vindicated by a subject matter expert report after the CCTV footage surfaced.
“They said that they couldn’t provide the CCTV footage. They gave us three CDs, and all three turned out to be unreadable. We kept going back and forth. They said, ‘This man jumped from there to there. [onto oncoming traffic]’ Why would he jump? We both were already tormented by what would happen to our children if we were to die.”
“The Istanbul Governor: ‘You will see him in handcuffs.'”
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According to Göçer, Istanbul Governor Davut Gül visited her following the incident. When the Governor asked Göçer what she would ask of him, Göçer told the Governor that she wanted to see him in handcuffs, to which the Governor replied: “Then you will see him in handcuffs”. However, Göçer also added her misgivings stating that she did not believe Mohamud would face legal consequences.
Göçer states that she has not been contacted by Somali Authorities or the Consulate General as of yet and is attempting to put pressure on the Somali government through the media to facilitate Mohamud’s extradition and prosecution.
“Mohamud’s extradition is not possible”
Attorney Iyaz Çimen, speaking on the likelihood of Mohamud’s extradition and prosecution, was equally grim, indicating that there is no legal avenue to issue an international arrest warrant for criminal negligence and that the absence of extradition treaties between Somalia and Turkey renders the prospect highly unlikely.
“The authority to extradite a citizen resides exclusively within the jurisdiction of the state. For a Somali citizen to be tried in Turkey, the Somali state must abdicate its power in our favor in this case.”
Further rendering his legal opinion, Çimen stated that even if Mohamud were to be found guilty, the crime in question carries a sentence less than six years. Çimen believes that due to the esoteric nature of the Turkish Penal Code, Mohamud would likely only serve a month behind bars if convicted.
A special relationship between Turkey and Somalia
Turkish-Somali relations have experienced notable growth and collaboration in recent years, fostering a robust diplomatic and economic partnership between the two nations. Turkey’s involvement in Somalia extends across diverse sectors, including significant contributions to infrastructure development, education, and healthcare. Turkey has financed extensive projects, such as the renovation of Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International Airport. Beyond these areas however, military cooperation between the two nations stands out as a prominent feature in Turkey’s relationship with Somalia.
Camp TURKSOM, a Turkish-operated military base on Somali soil, symbolizes Turkey’s military presence in Africa and is often cited as evidence of its expanding influence in the region. While historically viewed as a defensive force, the Turkish military has evolved into an expeditionary force under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s leadership, with a presence extending across the Middle East and Africa. In addition to the military base, Turkey supplies weapons, equipment, and training to Somali military personnel, a move that has sparked criticism, seen by some as indicative of the Erdogan Administration’s expansionist foreign policy.
