Nine pro-Palestinian activists, recently held in pretrial detention for several days for protesting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan over Turkey’s alleged ongoing trade with Israel, have filed criminal complaints against the relevant authorities alleging they were subjected to ill-treatment, including strip-searches, during their detention, Turkish Minute reported.
The activists, who had interrupted Erdoğan’s November 29 speech at the TRT World Forum in İstanbul, accusing the president of hypocrisy for allegedly facilitating crude oil shipments to Israel despite Turkey’s public stance against Israeli military actions in Gaza, were detained and subsequently arrested by a court on December 2. They were released on December 6 after their lawyers filed an appeal contesting the arrests.
They have been charged with “insulting the president” and participating in an unlawful demonstration.
The nine protesters, seven of whom are women, in their petition accused the presidential bodyguards, the director and police officers from the İstanbul Police Department and the prison staff of “torture,” “intentional injury,” “sexual harassment,” “insult,” “threat,” “failure to report a crime” and “abuse of duty.”
“The dignity and moral integrity of the clients were attacked through the application of physical and psychological violence, torture and threats,” their lawyer said in the petition.
The petition also blamed İstanbul Governor Davut Gül for failing to intervene and prevent the psychological and physical violence inflicted upon the activists by the presidential bodyguards, as he was a witness to the incident.
According to the petition the protestors’ clothes were removed at the police station and “their bodies and private areas were touched” during the search, with all their clothes, including their underwear, also removed during another search at the prison.
The activists’ arrests follow increasing scrutiny of Turkey’s trade relations with Israel. Reports have revealed continued shipments of crude oil from Turkey’s Ceyhan port to Israel, despite a trade embargo announced in May. Investigations by advocacy groups such as Stop Fueling Genocide have tracked oil tankers reportedly rerouting shipments to Israel through intermediary destinations.
Critics argue that Erdoğan’s government is contradicting its pro-Palestinian rhetoric with policies that enable Israel’s military operations in Gaza. Activists have also accused Azerbaijani oil company SOCAR of playing a key role in facilitating these transactions.
The protest during Erdoğan’s speech reflects growing frustration among activists who view the government’s response to the Gaza crisis as performative. The nine protesters reportedly criticized Erdoğan for failing to take meaningful action to stop trade with Israel while making symbolic gestures of support for Palestine.
Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza following a Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 that resulted in the death of 1,206 people and the taking of some 250 hostages.
According to the health ministry in Gaza, more than 44,600 people have been killed in Gaza since then, mostly civilians. The UN has said the figures are reliable.
A report released by Amnesty International on December 5 concludes that Israel’s actions in Gaza qualify as genocide.
