German activist Paula Maier alleged that an officer sexually assaulted her in a solitary cell in Istanbul while she was held in custody in Turkey in January. Maier was part of a 16-person delegation of activists and journalists who came to Turkey in solidarity with Rojava. Police detained the delegation on 23 January while they were traveling from Diyarbakır to Mardin, and the group was later ordered to be deported. Maier said they were also subjected to physical and psychological violence during the deportation process. Cansu Özdemir, foreign policy spokesperson for the Left Party group in the German Bundestag, called for the allegations to be investigated independently and thoroughly.
14 August 2026
bianet