Mavi Marmara victim granted 150,000 Turkish Liras in compensation

ISTANBUL

A Turkish court has ordered that a man, who was taken by Israeli soldiers from the Mavi Marmara ship and ill-treated in prison, should be paid 150,000 Turkish Liras ($11, 200) in compensation.

Nine Turkish citizens died when Israeli commandos stormed the Mavi Marmara ship, which was trying to break the embargo on Gaza in 2010. One more died in hospital in 2014.

Osman Atalay was on the ship as part of the aid mission. He was detained and asked to sign some documents in Hebrew. Israeli officials took his fingerprints, and he spent two days in a cell before appearing before the court.

According to Atalay, during these two days, he was deprived of sleep and was subjected to psychological torture.

He was later deported to Turkey. Atalay later opened a lawsuit in Istanbul, demanding compensation.

Gülden Sönmez, Atalay’s lawyer, said that it took a very long time for her client to recover and return to a normal life.

“That’s why we demand 150,000 liras in compensation from the state treasury,” she told the court.

However, the lawyers representing the state argued that the case should be dropped due to the statute of limitations.

The court finally ruled that the compensation with interest should be paid to Atalay.