Belgian tourist fined, returns to country after ancient stones case

ANTALYA

Belgian tourists Kim and Warre Mergits, who were first convicted for possessing three Roman stones and then released and returned to their country, were sentenced to 10 months in prison and a judicial fine with a new court decision.

The Belgian couple, who came to Turkiye for a vacation, were detained at Antalya Airport on Sept. 16 upon suspicion of having three stones wrapped in clothes and bags found in their suitcases.

The stones were examined by the Antalya Museum Directorate and it was determined that they belonged to the Roman period.

While the tourist couple was released with judicial control, a ban on leaving the country was imposed.

The prosecutor's office prepared an indictment against Mergits, one of the couple, for "opposition to the law on the protection of cultural and natural heritage."

In the indictment accepted by the court, she was demanded to be sentenced to imprisonment up to 12 years and a fine of up to 500,000 Turkish Liras in accordance with the law.

The indictment also requested that the incident be evaluated as an attempt at the theft of Roman stones. Mergits, whose travel ban and judicial control order was lifted in October, returned to her country.

In the final hearing held at the criminal court, the defendant was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment and a judicial fine for possession of historical artifacts on Nov. 30.

Effective remorse provisions were applied to the defendant Mergits and it was decided to defer the announcement of the verdict.