A U.N. Commission of Inquiry delegation has arrived in Ankara to review the investigation into the killing of Turkish-U.S. activist Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi and to collect evidence on alleged violations of humanitarian law and human rights in Palestine, Turkish authorities said Thursday.
Turkish prosecutors on Sept. 11 opened an investigation into the killing of Eygi, 26, who was shot dead by Israeli forces on Sept. 6 during a peaceful protest against illegal Israeli settlements near Nablus in the occupied West Bank.
The Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in Ankara said that on Sept. 18, they received documents from Palestinian authorities related to the ongoing investigation.
These included the autopsy report, crime scene photos and witness statements.
According to the prosecutor’s office, the case is being investigated as premeditated murder under crimes against humanity.
Eygi 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 preliminary investigation by Israel found that Eygi was “highly likely” hit “indirectly and unintentionally” by Israeli fire that was targeting a “main instigator of violent activity who hurled rocks” during the protest.
Video evidence and witness accounts, however, have contradicted Israel’s version of events, with many saying she was directly hit by an Israeli sniper.
A report by The Washington Post also revealed that Eygi was shot more than 30 minutes after the peak of confrontations in Beita and about 20 minutes after protesters had moved over 200 yards (180 meters) down the main road, away from Israeli forces.