The South Caucasus News - SouthCaucasusNews.com
Azerbaijani student charged with terrorism
Azerbaijani student and activist Nanakhanim (Nana) Babazade has been charged with terrorism and is being held in a deportation centre in Istanbul’s Çatalca district. OC Media reports that a court order for her deportation has already come into force. Her lawyer argues the case is politically motivated.
Babazade enrolled at Istanbul University two years ago to study anthropology. Alongside her studies, she took part in feminist, queer and student movements, as well as campaigns for animal rights.
Friends say her frequent involvement in protests increased the risk of deportation. Police arrested Babazade on 21 August at the vegan café where she was working. According to her testimony, she was repeatedly assaulted and insulted by police officers. She said she was subjected to a strip search, which she resisted, and was beaten again. Her lawyers argue that such searches are illegal under Turkish law and amount to torture. The following day she was taken to hospital for a compulsory medical examination. Records noted bruising and swelling on several parts of her body.
Babazade was later transferred to the Çatalca Deportation Centre, where she remains. Her lawyers were only granted access to her four days after the arrest.
Her lawyer, Ahmet Baran Çelik of the Lawyers for Freedom Association (ÖHD), said: “For the first three or four days, she only had a crop top and shorts. The authorities also verbally assaulted her because of this, calling her names. She was not given the medicines she needed. She was not given food for 24 hours.”
Deportation proceedings have been launched against Babazade under code G89, a designation in Turkish law used for “foreign terrorist fighters”. Her lawyer said the code is intended for people linked to ISIS and other radical groups but is often applied to human rights defenders.
