A woman from Antwerp that was arrested after she tried to take some stones home with her from her holiday in Turkey is being allowed to return to Belgium. A judge in Antalya has decided that after a month and a half, the woman whose name is Kim will be able to return home. However, this does not mean that she has been acquitted of attempting to smuggle historic artifacts out of the country. A verdict in Kim’s case is expected next month.
Antwerp woman arrested for trying to bring home stones from Turkey allowed to return to Belgium after 1 and a half months
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Kim and her partner Warre were stopped at the airport in September as they were about to board a plane for Belgium after a week’s holiday in Turkey. Three stones were found in Kim’s luggage. These were stones that the couple had found and wished to take home with them to put in Warre’s aquarium. However, under Turkish law it is forbidden to just take stones out of the country with you.
Kim was not allowed to leave the country pending her trial. Durng the past 1.5 months she has been staying in a flat in Antalaya. On Friday morning a judge decided that the Antwerp woman can now return home. She still faces a prison sentence of up to five years for failing to hand over the stones to Turkish authorities. The case will be heard next month, but Kim will no longer have to attend that hearing in person.