PodcastIstanbul taxi driver's license revoked after battering Moroccan woman passenger
The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has said that a taxi driver had his license revoked after battering a Moroccan woman passenger in February. The municipality said that the driver clasped the woman by the throat in an attempt to get the taxi fare of 22 Turkish Liras.
Duvar English
The Istanbul Municipality announced on June 2 that it revoked the license of a taxi driver after an internal investigation found the man guilty of battering a Moroccan woman passenger in February.
Video footage showed the taxi driver inflicting violence upon the woman Chaime H. both inside and outside the vehicle, the municipality said. The driver got the woman on the ground and clasped her by the throat in an attempt to get the taxi fare of 22 Turkish Liras, the municipality said.
“The violence that the driver inflicted upon the passenger was recorded on the vehicle's camera. It has been observed that the dispute started with the Moroccan origin passenger understanding the statements of the taxi driver, who complained of the traffic jam. Later the violence accumulated in the vehicle and then continued outside the vehicle,” the statement said.
Following the incident, Chaime H. reportedly went to the hospital to get a battery report and also sued the taxi driver. Authorities initially detained the driver on charges of “causing intentional injury” but then released him pending trial.
The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Department of Transportation said that the driver's license had been revoked indefinitely, while the taxi was temporarily banned from traffic, as the vehicle's operating license has been suspended.