Municipalities fined 234,000 liras over killing of Iranian national by strays

Umut Erdem – ANKARA

An Ankara court has held the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality and the district of Etismesgut Municipality responsible for the killing of an Iranian national by stray dogs, fining them 234,000 Turkish Liras (approximately $39,700) in total.

The incident concerns the killing of Majid Yahyakhani by strays on March 26, 2012 in the Etismesgut district of the capital. The deceased’s relatives Samad Yahyakhani, Rouzbeh Yahyakhani and Effat Abdi in 2013 filed with the Turkish authorities a demand for damages for pain and suffering.

The Ankara court handed down its decision on May 11, 2018, ordering the two Ankara municipalities to pay 50,000 liras for non-pecuniary damages to each of the applicants and an additional 84,353 liras to the deceased’s wife, Effat Abdi, for material compensation.

The issue was brought forward by the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality veterinary Aydın Kayalı during a recent meeting at the Parliament Animal Rights Research Commission.

“With regards to the lawsuit filed upon the finding of Majid Yahyakhani dead with his body and clothes shredded one hour after he went for a walk, it has been indicated in the autopsy report of the Forensic Medicine Institution that ‘the death occurred due to the exterior bleeding caused by deep muscle and vein destruction in approximately 50 percent of the body tissues, which is possible by animal bites,” the court said in its ruling.

“There is no hesitation [of the court] that the deceased died due to the attack of stray dogs. The law says that stray animals are to be examined, to have their vaccinations done and to have stayed at the municipality animal shelters and then are left at the stop where the municipality [workers] have taken,” said the ruling.

The court said that the killing of Yahyakhani by strays was also confirmed by the veterinarian that came to the place of the incident at the time.

“Therefore, it has been understood that the defendant administrations have not adequately fulfilled their obligations regarding stray animals and there is a neglect of duty,” the court added.