Husband of Turkish American activist slams US inaction on killing

Hamid Mazhar Ali criticized Washington on Friday for failing to open any investigation into the killing of his wife Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a Turkish American activist shot dead by Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank two years ago. Speaking at her graveside in the Didim district of Türkiye's Aydin province during a memorial ceremony marking the second anniversary of her death, Ali told Anadolu that the pain of loss remains undiminished and that US authorities have ignored repeated calls for accountability.

'Hypocrisy' in Washington

Ali said the legal process in the US has not advanced since the day Eygi was killed. "The legal process in the US is at exactly the same point as the day she was killed," he said, adding that "there has been absolutely no progress" despite two years of persistent requests to US officials.

He compared the case to that of Rachel Corrie, the American peace activist killed by an Israeli bulldozer in Gaza in 2003, noting that neither incident resulted in accountability. "I think this is an extremely hypocritical stance. But it is not surprising. We have seen this for the past 20 years, ever since Rachel Corrie," he said. Ali emphasized that Corrie was "an American, born and raised in the US, and her parents were American too. Yet justice was not delivered for her either," highlighting what he called a consistent double standard.

Undiminished grief

Ali described the continuing anguish of losing his wife, stating that the emotional burden has not eased with time. "It is just as difficult now as it was on the day she died," he said. "It has not become any easier." He recalled Eygi as a passionate advocate for justice who supported struggles worldwide from her youth, driven particularly by the events in Gaza that began in 2023.

"Throughout her youth, she took part in many different struggles for peace and justice," Ali said, noting that she felt compelled to travel to Palestine after witnessing what he termed the genocide. "I think she was profoundly affected, especially by the events that began in 2023 and by the genocide," he added. "That is why she felt she had to go there."

Killing in West Bank

Eygi died on Sept. 6, 2024, from a gunshot wound to the head sustained during a peaceful demonstration in the occupied West Bank, where she was volunteering with the International Solidarity Movement. She was laid to rest in Didim on Sept. 14 following funeral ceremonies in her family's home province of Aydin.

Ali vowed to continue pursuing legal action at both state and federal levels in the US, framing the fight as broader than his wife's case alone. "We will continue doing this because we know the issue is not only Aysenur. It is everyone who has been unjustly killed around the world, including by Israel," he said. Israeli forces have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since October 2023, according to Palestinian health officials.