The trial of 27-year-old Turkish national Ebru Özkan, who was arrested by Israeli forces on June 11, is due to be held
The trial of 27-year-old Ebru Özkan, who was arrested by Israeli forces at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv on June 11 when she was returning to Turkey after a trip to Jerusalem, is due to be held on Tuesday.
The young Turkish woman is accused by Israeli authorities of having links to a terrorist organization, her lawyer Ömer Hamayse said.
Özkan is described by her family and friends as a “lover of Jerusalem.” She had visited the holy city on a three-day trip and was arrested while trying to return to Turkey.
Her detention period has been illegally extended by Israeli forces many times. Tuesday’s trial won’t be Özkan’s first. She stood trial on June 25 in the Salim military region of Israel’s north.
Israeli police had requested that her detention period be extended for seven more days, and at the end of her hearing, the court ruled that Özkan would remain in custody for an additional three days.
Özkan’s lawyer Hamayse said they objected to this period and requested that she be released immediately, but the court overruled.
Hamayse added that Turkish officials from Turkey’s consulate in Tel Aviv would attend Tuesday’s trial.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Ayten Özkan, mother of Ebru, dismissed the allegations, saying her daughter, who had also been to Jerusalem twice, was arrested “unjustly” and without probable cause.
“My daughter loves Jerusalem so much. She loves the people and children there,” Ayten said.
The family could not communicate with Ebru for 19 days, according to her mother.
“I hope my daughter will be the voice of Jerusalem and al-Aqsa mosque and will be the voice of heart-stricken mothers,” Ayten said.
“It is an awful thing, but God gives you strength. When I think of my daughter, I tell myself not to be selfish. There are some mothers whose five-year-old children are taken away. They are mothers too,” she added.
