Tourist faces jail for collecting beach souvenirs
A US tourist is facing prosecution, and a possible jail sentence, for collecting pebbles and debris from a Turkish beach.
11:49AM BST 18 Apr 2013
Jason Dement, 30, from Purvis, Mississippi, was questioned by security officials at Antalya Airport last week after the items were discovered in his luggage. He was briefly detained, told to remain in the country, and charged with attempting to “smuggle historical artefacts”.
Mr Dement said he and his wife, Sheila, often collect items they find on the beach to take home as holiday souvenirs. Two of the items uncovered by airport staff appear to have prompted the arrest – a five-inch brick-coloured piece, which may have been old masonry, and a triangular piece of marble, that Mr Dement said looked like it came from a modern building.
“It had no inscription," Mr Dement told The Associated Press from his hotel in Antalya. "It came from an ordinary beach. There were no historical sites around; no ancient ruins."
His lawyer said that Turkey has strict laws prohibiting the smuggling historical items, and broad definitions about what constitutes an historical artefact. The maximum punishment for doing so is 12 years in prison.
Mr Dement, a former soldier and civilian employee at the Katterbach US Army base in Germany, has since appealed for help to cover his costs while in Turkey. In a blog created since his arrest, he added: “The judge is awaiting an official report from a museum historian that will weigh in on the true value of the `artifact', and this will be a huge factor in the next phase of my court struggle."
His wife, also employed at the army base, was allowed to fly back to Germany last week.
Tourist faces jail for collecting beach souvenirs
A US tourist is facing prosecution, and a possible jail sentence, for collecting pebbles and debris from a Turkish beach.
11:49AM BST 18 Apr 2013
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Jason Dement, 30, from Purvis, Mississippi, was questioned by security officials at Antalya Airport last week after the items were discovered in his luggage. He was briefly detained, told to remain in the country, and charged with attempting to “smuggle historical artefacts”.
Mr Dement said he and his wife, Sheila, often collect items they find on the beach to take home as holiday souvenirs. Two of the items uncovered by airport staff appear to have prompted the arrest – a five-inch brick-coloured piece, which may have been old masonry, and a triangular piece of marble, that Mr Dement said looked like it came from a modern building.
“It had no inscription," Mr Dement told The Associated Press from his hotel in Antalya. "It came from an ordinary beach. There were no historical sites around; no ancient ruins."
His lawyer said that Turkey has strict laws prohibiting the smuggling historical items, and broad definitions about what constitutes an historical artefact. The maximum punishment for doing so is 12 years in prison.
Mr Dement, a former soldier and civilian employee at the Katterbach US Army base in Germany, has since appealed for help to cover his costs while in Turkey. In a blog created since his arrest, he added: “The judge is awaiting an official report from a museum historian that will weigh in on the true value of the `artifact', and this will be a huge factor in the next phase of my court struggle."
His wife, also employed at the army base, was allowed to fly back to Germany last week.
A US tourist is facing prosecution, and a possible jail sentence, for collecting pebbles and debris from a Turkish beach.
11:49AM BST 18 Apr 2013
Jason Dement, 30, from Purvis, Mississippi, was questioned by security officials at Antalya Airport last week after the items were discovered in his luggage. He was briefly detained, told to remain in the country, and charged with attempting to “smuggle historical artefacts”.
Mr Dement said he and his wife, Sheila, often collect items they find on the beach to take home as holiday souvenirs. Two of the items uncovered by airport staff appear to have prompted the arrest – a five-inch brick-coloured piece, which may have been old masonry, and a triangular piece of marble, that Mr Dement said looked like it came from a modern building.
“It had no inscription," Mr Dement told The Associated Press from his hotel in Antalya. "It came from an ordinary beach. There were no historical sites around; no ancient ruins."
His lawyer said that Turkey has strict laws prohibiting the smuggling historical items, and broad definitions about what constitutes an historical artefact. The maximum punishment for doing so is 12 years in prison.
Mr Dement, a former soldier and civilian employee at the Katterbach US Army base in Germany, has since appealed for help to cover his costs while in Turkey. In a blog created since his arrest, he added: “The judge is awaiting an official report from a museum historian that will weigh in on the true value of the `artifact', and this will be a huge factor in the next phase of my court struggle."
His wife, also employed at the army base, was allowed to fly back to Germany last week.
