Türkiye to submit evidence to international courts on killing of Turkish American activist by Israel to international courts

By Sinan Ozmus and Ali Riza Akkir

ANTALYA, Türkiye (AA) - Ankara will submit evidence on the killing of Turkish American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Turkish justice minister said on Monday.

"We will present (a forensic) report on Eygi and submit more evidence to the ICJ. Additionally, we will present evidence in the ongoing investigation at the ICC regarding Israeli aggressors," Yilmaz Tunc told reporters in the Mediterranean city of Antalya.

Emphasizing that Eygi worked to decry the Israeli genocide and defend the rights of oppressed Palestinians, he said: "She took part in a peaceful protest to advocate for human rights. Eygi was a human rights activist, having graduated from a US university this June."

"We will submit reports on Eygi to the UN Security Council. The genocide case is ongoing, and Türkiye has requested to participate," he added.

Tunc also said the Palestinian ambassador to Ankara had visited the Justice Ministry and presented a file on Eygi and Palestine.

- Türkiye continues diplomatic efforts to stop ongoing bloodshed

Highlighting ongoing efforts to protect Eygi's rights, Tunc said: "Since October 7 (2023), more than 41,000 innocent people have been martyred in Palestine. Eighty percent of them are women and children. Unfortunately, we all see how international organizations remain completely silent about women's and children's rights, showing a clear double standard. We regretfully observe that the decisions of international organizations and courts yield no results."

He added: "Türkiye is continuing its diplomatic efforts to halt the bloodshed. Towards this end, we continue to express our stance on every platform. Without ending the occupation, establishing a free Palestine, and withdrawing to the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, the bleeding wound here cannot be healed.”

- Israeli killing of peaceful activist

On Sept. 3, Eygi went to observe a protest in the town of Beita in Nablus, to stand against the illegal Israeli settlements there. On Sept. 6, she was intentionally targeted and killed by an Israeli sniper standing on a nearby rooftop.

Eyewitnesses reported that when she was shot in the head, Eygi was far from the protest area. She was taken to a Palestinian hospital but despite doctors’ best efforts, they were not able to save her.

Eygi was a human rights activist and a volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement, which supports Palestinians through peaceful, civilian means against the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire, Israel has continued a brutal offensive on Gaza following a cross-border attack by Hamas last October,

More than 41,400 people, mostly women and children, have since been killed and more than 95,800 injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the ICJ for its actions in Gaza.

*Writing by Necva Tastan Sevinc