Turkish Foreign Ministry fined for losing renowned historian's badges

Dinçer Gökçe – ANKARA

A court fined the Turkish Foreign Ministry 5,000 Turkish Liras for losing the awards of world-renowned Turkish historian Professor İlber Ortaylı.

Ortaylı has received several badges from the several countries, which were given to the Foreign Ministry for their registration. However, the awards went missing when they were under the Foreign Ministry’s roof.  

Ortaylı filed a lawsuit against the Prime Ministry and Foreign Ministry, demanding compensation for his non-pecuniary loss. Ankara’s 11th Administrative Court ruled on the side of Ortaylı.

One of the badges was the Austrian Decoration for Science and Art. Another missing badge was the Medal of Pushkin, a state decoration of the Russian Federation, awarded for achievements in the arts and culture, education, humanities and literature. It is named in honor of Russian author and poet Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin. His badge from the Italian president was also missing.

In line with the Law on Medals and Orders, Act No. 2933, Ortaylı submitted his medals to the Foreign Ministry for their registration. But he could not learn of their fate and later communication between the institutions revealed that his medals were lost. In its testimony, the Prime Ministry said they did not receive the originals of the badges. The Foreign Ministry told the court there was no negligence or mistake on its part in the loss of the badges.