Cargo firm to compensate sculptor after losing bust of self-styled revolutionary Carlos the Jackal

Duvar English

A Turkish court ordered a cargo company to compensate a sculpturer and writer for losing a bronze bust on its way to Venezuela in 2014.

The İzmir Regional Justice Court ruled that the cargo firm, whose name has not been disclosed, will pay a total of 30,775 liras in compensation to Dr. Ümit Yaşar Işıkhan.

The bronze bust was created Işıkhan himself and was depicting Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, a self-proclaimed "professional revolutionary.”

Carlos was an "anti-imperialist" who carried out worldwide attacks in the 1970s and 1980s.

The Venezuelan man was given life in prison in France for throwing a grenade in a Paris shopping center in 1974, killing two people.

The 72-year-old Carlos is still serving his time in a Paris prison.

After visiting him in the Paris prison in 2014, Işıkhan made a bust of the convict. Afterwards, he handed it to a cargo firm to be dispatched to Venezuela, where the final destination was the Venezuelan Revolution Museum as it would be exhibited there.

Although Işıkhan was able to track his cargo until Istanbul, it got lost afterwards.

Işıkhan said that the incident saddened him very much since he could not keep his promise to Carlos. “Today, it is the birthday of my dear brother, Commandate Carlos. He turned 72 today. I wish a happy year to my brother whom I believe is the voice of the oppressed. During our meeting [in Paris prison in 2014], he had sent his regards to Turkey, Turkish people. If he was able to leave prison, he was planning on settling in Turkey. He had said that he loves Turkish food and people,” Işıkhan was quoted as saying by Demirören news agency on Oct. 13.

Işıkhan also cut a birthday cake at his workshop for Carlos' 72nd year birthday.

Işıkhan's lawyer Fatma Seval Karabay said that the court's ruling against the cargo firm sets a precedent as there “is no clarity on how an art of work should be evaluated both in the national and international transportation rules.” “Since his artwork cannot be brought back, this decision has still not made Mr. Ümit Işıkhan very happy; but it has been very helpful in terms of the law,” she said.