First he was allowed to leave Turkey after he hit a motorcycle courier with his car in November. Then the police blamed the courier, who later died in the hospital, before reversing course.
Finally, on Tuesday, the driver of the car, the son of Somalia’s leader, was convicted of “causing death by negligence” and given a prison sentence that was quickly commuted to a fine of 27,300 Turkish lira, or about $900.
Widespread perceptions that the driver, Mohammed Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, 40, a doctor, repeatedly received preferential treatment from the authorities has prompted outrage in Turkey and accusations that justice was denied to the courier, Yunus Emre Gocer, 38, a father of two young children.
Many Turks speculated on social media that Mr. Mohamud had been treated differently because of his father’s position and vented about the unusually swift judicial process. Similar cases typically take 18 months to two years, legal experts say.
“Everything went differently in this case, as the person behind the wheel was in a position of power,” said Mesut Ceki, the head of Courier Rights Association, which represents motorcyclist delivery drivers like Mr. Gocer. “This is impunity. Our lives are worth only 27,300 lira — this is how I feel.”
In his conviction by a Turkish court on Tuesday, Mr. Mohamud, whose father is President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia, was initially handed a sentence of three years. But that was lowered to two and a half years before being commuted to the fine, payable in 10 installments.
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