Türkiye files premeditated murder charge in killing of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi

Witness accounts and evidence have been added to Türkiye's investigation into the killing of Turkish-American anti-war activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, who was shot last month by Israeli forces during a peaceful demonstration in the occupied West Bank.

Türkiye's Terror Crimes Investigation Bureau, classifying the incident as a "crime against humanity," has filed charges of "premeditated murder" against those involved in the shooting.

Eyewitness statements, photos, video footage, and an autopsy report from Palestinian judicial authorities have been included in the case file alongside a separate autopsy conducted in Türkiye.

The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office is currently reviewing these materials as it seeks to identify those responsible for ordering and executing Eygi's shooting.

According to the investigation, the events unfolded during a peaceful demonstration and march in Beita, located in the Nablus district of the occupied West Bank.

After Friday prayers, Israeli soldiers reportedly threw tear gas into the crowd without provocation and occupied a Palestinian citizen's house nearby. Shortly after, Eygi was struck by gunfire from Israeli soldiers stationed on the rooftop, resulting in fatal injuries.

'Directly targeted with intent to kill'

Witness Alex Edward Harrison Chabbott, an American citizen, said Israeli soldiers fired tear gas as soon as the march began, forcing protesters to seek cover. He recounted hearing two gunshots in the chaos, with the second hitting Eygi.

Chabbott said she was "directly targeted with intent to kill."

British activist Dominic Robin Sedol recounted a similar statement, saying soldiers approached at 1pm local time and began firing tear gas.

Sedol said they were hiding among olive trees, away from the main protest area, when he heard the gunshots. Then he saw Eygi on the ground. Israeli soldiers fired with "the intent to kill Ayse directly," he said.

Another witness, Australian Helen Maria O'Sullivan, said they went to Beita to observe and document the occupation while maintaining a peaceful presence.

O'Sullivan recalls hearing people say "live bullets" as they were hiding. According to her, the soldiers had a clear line of sight to Eygi when the second gunshot rang out.

Jonathan Polak Pasterbnak, an Israeli citizen who attended the march with Eygi, confirmed that soldiers fired live ammunition. After the second shot, he ran over and saw Aysenur lying on the ground, with severe bleeding from her head.

"I looked at the soldiers on the roof of the house and saw that the soldiers were still there, they had directly targeted Aysenur."

Eygi, a dual citizen of the US and Türkiye, was a human rights activist and a volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement, which supports Palestinians using peaceful and civil methods against Israel's occupation.

A "fiercely passionate" human rights activist, Eygi was determined to show her support for the Palestinian cause.

Rachel Corrie, a US citizen and member of the same movement, was also killed by Israeli forces in 2003 when she was crushed by an Israeli bulldozer.

Eygi was born in Türkiye in 1998. She was killed by occupation forces at just 26 years old, shortly after she graduated from the University of Washington, where she pursued a double major in psychology and Middle Eastern languages and cultures.

Her funeral took place on September 14 in her hometown Didim, a district in Aydin, Türkiye.