$142,000 granted to family of ISIL bombing victim insufficient: Complainant

A recent court ruling that awarded the family of a victim killed in the 2015 twin bomb attack in Ankara a total of 500,000 Turkish Liras ($142,000) in damages has stirred debate, with the relative of another victim saying the compensation should have been higher.

Following the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) bombing on Oct. 10, 2015, which was the deadliest terror attack ever carried out in Turkey, Hasan Baykara's wife, four children, mother and three siblings filed an application to the Interior Ministry and claimed 2,800,000 Turkish Liras ($790,000) in damages for mental anguish, as the state could not prevent the bombing from happening. The Ankara 6th Administrative Court, however, ruled to grant the family 500,000 liras.  

Lawyer Mehtap Sakinci Coşgun, who also lost her husband in the bombing, told daily Hürriyet that she found the compensation granted to the family by the court insufficient. Coşgun herself also reportedly applied to the Interior Ministry for compensation after she lost her husband, Uygar Coşkun, in the attack. 

Coşgun, also the head of a foundation called 10 October Peace and Solidarity Foundation ("10 Ekim-Der") which was found by the family members of the victims, said she sued the Interior Ministry and the Ankara Governor's Office for 1.7 million liras ($494,000) in damages but her case had not been finalized yet. 

"After the [Ankara] train station attack almost 90 lawsuits were filed. There were a total of 101 dead and 450 injured [in the attack]. Hasan Baykara's wife was granted 50,000 liras. For the whole family, the awarded non-pecuniary damages amount to 500,000 liras. This number is very insufficient. Even in traffic accidents wives are granted a higher number," Coşgun told daily Hürriyet....