Hamid Mazhar Ali spoke at a memorial ceremony held at his wife Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi’s grave in Aydın’s Didim district on the second anniversary of her death. Ali said the legal process in the United States had not moved beyond the point it had reached on the day Eygi was killed and that there had been no developments for two years.
Ali said no investigation had been opened in the US despite their repeated applications and stated that the family’s pursuit of justice had produced no results. He announced that they would continue following the process at both the state and federal levels in Washington.
“The pain is as intense as it was on the first day”
Ali said the pain of losing Eygi had not faded and that he thought of his wife all the time. He said he missed hearing Eygi’s laughter and joking with her, adding that he had been forced to learn to live with the pain over time.
Ali said Eygi had supported struggles for peace and justice in different parts of the world from a young age. He said Eygi had worked passionately for peace and justice everywhere in the world, not only in Palestine.
Reaction to the US position
Ali said developments in Palestine had deeply affected Eygi, adding that the events that began in 2023 and the severe humanitarian situation in Gaza had influenced his wife’s decision to travel to the region. He said the continuation of this situation would anger and disappoint Eygi.
Ali argued that there was a double standard between the US rhetoric on justice and its approach toward Israel. Saying that this attitude angered him, Ali said the family of Rachel Corrie, an American peace activist killed in Gaza in 2003, had faced a similar situation.
Corrie was killed after being run over by an Israeli bulldozer while trying to prevent the demolition of a Palestinian family’s home. Ali said justice had not been served even though Corrie had been born and raised in the US and her family was American.
Eygi’s killing
Israeli soldiers opened fire during a peaceful demonstration held in support of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Eygi, a human rights activist who also held US citizenship, was at the demonstration and was seriously wounded by a gunshot to the head.
Eygi was taken to a hospital in Palestine and died on September 6, 2024. Eygi, who volunteered with the International Solidarity Movement, participated in peaceful civilian activities supporting Palestinians.
Eygi was buried in Aydın’s Didim district on September 14, 2024. Ali said the family would continue seeking justice not only for Eygi but for everyone unjustly killed in different parts of the world.
Toll in the region
More than 73,000 people have been killed and more than 174,000 injured in Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 8, 2023. Since the attacks in Gaza began, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed, more than 12,000 injured and approximately 24,000 detained in attacks by the Israeli army and settlers in the occupied West Bank.
