A travel ban has been imposed on Mohamed Hassan Sheik Mohamud, a son of the president of Somalia who was involved in a traffic accident resulting in the death of a motorcycle courier in İstanbul, Turkish media reported on Thursday.
The incident took place on Nov. 30 in İstanbul’s Fatih district. Yunus Emre Göçer, aged 38, was trying to come to a halt on Kennedy Avenue when he was struck from behind by President Hasan Sheikh Mohamud’s son, who was driving a vehicle registered to the Somali Consulate. The collision resulted in severe injuries to Göçer, ultimately leading to his passing six days later at İstanbul Teaching and Research Hospital.
Mohamud’s release after giving a police statement received significant backlash, following which a travel ban was imposed on him.
Turkish Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç previously said footage of the incident showed that Göçer was hit from behind while riding his motorcycle.
The minister said everyone is equal before the law and that if a crime had been committed, there will be consequences.
Speaking at his son’s funeral, Metin Göçer, the father of Yunus Emre Göçer, said his son, a professional motorcyclist, fell victim not to an accident but to murder.
“I demand justice. … I don’t want this incident to be covered up. … [Göçer] left behind two children. This is a human tragedy,” he said.
Lawyer İlyas Çimen said, based on his observations of the footage, the fault appears to be entirely with the driver of the rear vehicle.
“The suspect was released as there was no such fault assessment in the police report,” Çimen said, adding that they are awaiting his arrest.
Sharing the footage of the incident on X, formerly known as Twitter, İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) said he would follow the legal process to its conclusion on behalf of tens of thousands of motorcycle couriers in the city.
Somali Cumhurbaşkanının oğlu, motokurye Yunus Emre Göçer'e çarparak ölümüne sebep oluyor ve serbest bırakılıyor. Göçer'e Allah'tan rahmet, ailesine başsağlığı diliyorum.
Bu işin peşini bırakmayacağız. Hukuki süreci, on binlerce motokurye emekçi adına sonuna kadar takip edeceğim! pic.twitter.com/JN3wAKuSPJ— Ekrem İmamoğlu (@ekrem_imamoglu) December 7, 2023