AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman.

We turn now to calls for justice in the killing of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26-year-old Turkish American citizen, a student at “U Dub,” University of Washington, shot in the head and killed by Israeli forces one year ago, on September 6th, when she was taking part in weekly protests against Israeli illegal settlements near Nablus in the town of Beita in the occupied West Bank. Ayşenur’s family says video evidence and witness accounts show an Israeli sniper targeted her, even though the Israeli military claimed it was highly likely she was hit indirectly and unintentionally as soldiers fired at protesters, who, they say, were throwing rocks. Meanwhile, an investigation by The Washington Post determined she was shot half an hour after any clashes and that she was at least 200 yards away from the soldiers.

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement on the anniversary of her death this weekend, saying, quote, “The killing of innocent civilians is a clear indication of disregard for human life and international norms. Turkey will resolutely continue its efforts to ensure that this grave crime against Ayşenur does not go unpunished,” unquote. Turkey’s investigation into her killing is ongoing.

The family is calling for the U.S. to conduct an independent investigation. She’s a U.S. citizen. The family met with the Biden administration’s State Department but says nothing came out of it, right through to now. Israeli soldiers and settlers have killed at least 10 U.S. citizens since 2022. No criminal charges have been brought in any of the cases.

For more, we’re joined in Portland, Oregon, by Ozden Bennett. She is the sister of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi and now an advocate with the For Ayşenur campaign seeking justice and accountability for her sister’s killing.

Welcome back to Democracy Now!, Ozden. Again, our condolences on the death of your sister one year ago in the West Bank. Talk about the moment you heard that Ayşenur had been killed, this University of Washington student.

OZDEN BENNETT: It was easily the most horrible, unbelievable moment of my life. I mean, when we talked about risks in my sister going to the West Bank, you know, death was definitely at the top of my list and concerns. And to receive a call and to be woken up by my husband in the morning saying that she was dead and that she was shot in the head by an Israeli soldier, it was — I mean, it was the worst news, the worst-case scenario come to life. And the days, hours, weeks following were like a nightmare. And I wish no family has to experience what we experienced. And yet, there have been multiple American families that have had to go through the same exact experience that we did since my sister was killed.

AMY GOODMAN: Last year, your family held regular vigils outside the White House and a news conference outside the Capitol, where one of the speakers included Democratic Congressmember Pramila Jayapal of Washington state.

REP. PRAMILA JAYAPAL: I am absolutely appalled with the lack of movement on this case, the lack of attention from the State Department, the U.S. State Department, for the well-being and the safety of our own U.S. citizens. Nothing that I have heard from the State Department gives me any assurance at all that the killing of a United States citizen by the IDF is being treated with the urgency that it deserves. And this is all particularly galling when the U.S. continues to provide unfettered aid to Israel — bullets, bombs, weapons — violating our own domestic Leahy Laws and international humanitarian law.

AMY GOODMAN: So, that was Washington congressmember, Seattle Congressmember Pramila Jayapal a year ago. This is during the Biden administration. Now President Trump is in charge. What has happened from that point until now when it comes to an investigation into the killing of an American citizen?

OZDEN BENNETT: Absolutely nothing. What Congresswoman Jayapal said, that we heard just a moment ago, is exactly where we still stand today. There has been no forward motion, really no communication, no political will, willingness to seek not only a U.S.-led investigation, but basic details or information they can provide us, the family. It’s been, essentially, crickets and silence. And from what we can hear from our elected representatives, they’ve also been essentially stonewalled into — you know, from any meaningful legislation or information, and met with just full — 

AMY GOODMAN: So, you have — you have Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel under Trump, saying, “There must be accountability for this criminal and terrorist act.” Has there been any movement? He said that, I think, in June.

OZDEN BENNETT: There has been no movement. There has been a lot of nice words, but no action to back it up, no meaningful pursuit of justice and accountability for my sister.

AMY GOODMAN: So, since your sister’s death, at least two more U.S. citizens have been killed in the West Bank — Sayfollah Musallet, beaten to death by Israeli settlers, and Khamis Ayyad, killed in another settler attack — with their families also pleading for a U.S. investigation. Have you united with other families? And, of course, going back to Shireen Abu Akleh, the world-renowned Al Jazeera journalist who was killed by an Israeli sniper, May 11th, 2022. She was also — she was Palestinian American.

OZDEN BENNETT: Mm-hmm. Unfortunately, as you’ve mentioned, we’re now part of a group of families who have experienced losing their loved ones to killings by either the Israeli military directly or illegal Israeli settlers enabled by the Israeli government. And we will actually be making a trip to Washington, D.C., next week with some of these family members, coming together and sharing our stories to showcase the repeated pattern of not only Israeli violence extended to American citizens, but their ability to do it with full impunity, zero consequences.

AMY GOODMAN: Who exactly will you be meeting with in Washington, D.C.? And given the expanded criticism of Israel by even AIPAC-supported congressmembers and the increased calls for weapons bans on Israel, are you finding more elected leaders across the political spectrum who are willing to stand up for Ayşenur and the other Americans killed?

OZDEN BENNETT: We’re hoping to meet with our elected officials and those of the families that will be with us, so Ayşenur’s senators, Cantwell, Murray, and Congresswoman Jayapal, hopefully Adam Smith. And as you mentioned, there has been a shift towards being more supportive of Palestinian rights and maybe being more vocally critical of the Israeli government, and we’re hoping that we can use that momentum and public change in discourse to push for a meaningful investigation and justice and accountability, not only for my sister, but for all of the families that have been impacted since her killing.

AMY GOODMAN: Can you talk about the response of the University of Washington, of U Dub, where your sister, Ayşenur, had just graduated? The response in the community, there were major protests last year, like there were across college campuses. Ayşenur was one of the leaders of those protests before she went to the West Bank engaging in peaceful protest.

OZDEN BENNETT: Yes, you know, I like to think of the university kind of in two terms. One is the overall community and the students, who have been so supportive and wanting to not only honor Ayşenur’s life, but to really share her story and the impact that she had on campus. And that has been really wonderful to see and to be a part of.

On the other hand, I think you have the university leaders and the president. When this happened, President Cauce, who was really empathetic to us as the family for our loss, but unwilling to make any public political statements or even a call for a U.S.-led investigation, and that resistance to kind of speaking truth to what’s happening has been really disappointing to see.

AMY GOODMAN: Ozden Bennett, I want to thank you so much for being with us. Again, our deepest condolences. Sister of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, the 26-year-old Turkish American citizen, activist, student, who just graduated from the University of Washington, killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank last September. Ozden Bennett is an advocate for the For Ayşenur campaign seeking justice and accountability in her sister’s killing.

When we come back, the acclaimed psychiatrist and author Robert Jay Lifton has died at the age of 99. We’ll play an excerpt of an interview we recently did with him. Back in 20 seconds.

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AMY GOODMAN: Sweet Honey in the Rock performing “Down by the Riverside” in our firehouse studio decades ago.