Turkish journalist Elif Bayburt is facing charges of “insulting the Turkish state” after conducting an interview about the death of a Turkish-American human rights activist in the West Bank, the Bianet news website reported on Thursday.
The charges stem from remarks made by Rob Sadler of the International Solidarity Movement during an interview with Bayburt in which he alleged that “Turkey and the US are complicit in Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people.”
The interview focused on the death of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, a Turkish-American activist reportedly shot in the head and killed by Israeli forces during a protest in the occupied West Bank on September 6, 2024.
The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office accused Bayburt, a reporter for Etkin News Agency, of violating Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, which prohibits insulting the Turkish nation, the Republic of Turkey, or state institutions. The İstanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance accepted the charge.
Bayburt has dismissed the accusations as “absurd,” emphasizing that the remarks in question were Sadler’s, not her own.
“Ayşenur Ezgi was a citizen of both Turkey and the United States. I simply asked Sadler about the potential responses of these governments, and his reply has now become the basis for this case,” Bayburt said. “This prosecution reflects the government’s ongoing efforts to suppress criticism and shield its ties with Israel.”
Bayburt described the case as an attempt to silence dissent amid growing scrutiny of Turkey’s relations with Israel.
“No investigation, lawsuit or pressure can overshadow the genocide and the resistance we are witnessing,” Bayburt said. “As a journalist, my duty is to give voice to the truth, no matter the consequences.”
The Mezopotamya Women Journalists Association condemned the case, calling it unacceptable. “A lawsuit against a journalist simply for doing her job cannot be tolerated,” the group said in a post on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
The trial date has not yet been set.
Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, which criminalizes “insulting the Turkish nation, state institutions or the government,” requires permission from the Ministry of Justice to prosecute.
The article, which has faced repeated criticism from the European Court of Human Rights and rights advocates for being overly broad and curbing free expression, was amended in 2008 to include the requirement for ministerial approval to bring charges.
