2023-09-18 06:41:00
It’s an incredible story brought to us by our Dutch-speaking colleagues at HLN. A couple from Deurne is currently detained in Turkey on suspicion of trafficking in archaeological objects. This couple, Kim and Warre, on vacation in the Manavdat region, had picked up three stones to decorate their aquarium in their house. However, the Turks did not like it.
As they prepared to take the plane home, the nightmare began. “We got pulled out of line because there was something wrong with this suitcase,” says Kim. The couple had to justify themselves: the authorities thought it was a stone from a museum. In reality, the stone was simply collected from an empty lot in Manavgat, a town near a river, known for its waterfalls.
“They had to wait in a cell on a chair at the airport to be brought to justice. There too, they had to wait for hours. They are now free once more, but without money or papers“, explains a close friend of the couple to our colleagues.
For now, the couple remains detained in Turkey and must report every week to prove they are still in the country, pending a full investigation. Kim explains that they are suspected of being “responsible for smuggling archaeological stones”. “I have to wait in Antalya and I’m not allowed to fly home. I have to wait for my trial“, concludes Kim.
Türkiye vacation trial
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