Turkey is investigating the killing of a US-Turkish activist during a protest in the West Bank, the country’s justice minister said on Thursday, pledging to press the United Nations for immediate action.
Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, 26, was fatally shot last week while protesting Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank town of Beita. These settlements, deemed illegal under international law, are backed by right-wing members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
The UN rights office has accused Israeli forces of shooting Eygi in the head. The Israeli military has acknowledged firing in the area and stated that it is investigating the incident, according to the Arab News.
“Turkey has opened an investigation,” said Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc. He added that Turkey would bring the case to the United Nations and push for an independent inquiry into Eygi’s death.
“We will ensure that the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial and Arbitrary Executions takes swift action, and we will work towards establishing an independent commission of inquiry to prepare a report,” Tunc said. He further noted that Turkey would submit this report to the UN Human Rights Council and the International Court of Justice, where an ongoing case against Israel is being heard.
“We will continue to defend the rights of our sister Aysenur and our Palestinian brothers,” Tunc added.
Turkey’s foreign ministry confirmed that formalities for transferring Eygi’s body had been completed through its embassy in Tel Aviv and consulate in Jerusalem.
“The body will arrive in Turkey tomorrow,” the ministry said, condemning what it described as “this murder committed by Netanyahu’s genocidal government.”
Eygi’s family is still awaiting her body and plans to bury her in the southwestern town of Didim on Friday. “It’s a tragic but also proud moment for Didim,” said her uncle Ali Tikkim, 67. “It’s significant that a young woman, martyred for her sensitivity to the world, will be laid to rest here.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to ensure that “Aysenur Ezgi’s death does not go unpunished.”
