human rights defender
Esra Işık
©
human rights defender
©
She should be acquitted.
2000
Woman
Rural
Released
Esra Işık is a life and environmental activist living in İkizköy, a village in the Milas district of Muğla. She plays an active role in the struggle to protect the Akbelen Forest, olive groves, and agricultural lands from coal mines and thermal power plants. She is the daughter of İkizköy Village Head Nejla Işık and is recognized as one of the young symbols of the Akbelen resistance.
On March 30, 2026, she was detained following protests that erupted during an expert inspection related to the expropriation process in Akbelen, and on March 31, she was arrested on charges of “resisting the execution of official duties.” She was first held at the Muğla Prison and later transferred to the İzmir Şakran Women’s Closed Prison. During her detention, various bar associations, environmental organizations, and democratic mass organizations called for her release.
On May 11, 2026, the Milas 3rd Criminal Court of First Instance ordered her release under the judicial control measure of a travel ban. After approximately 42 days in detention, Işık was released. In a statement following her release, she said, “I was arrested for defending my land,” and expressed that the Akbelen struggle would continue.
Mar 30, 2026
May 11, 2026
Latitude: 38.09836159280601
Longitude: 27.070312500000004
İzmir/Aliağa
İzmir Şakran Women’s Closed Prison
The trial is ongoing. The next trial will be held on 1 June 2026.
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Esra Işık is a life and environmental activist living in İkizköy, a village in the Milas district of Muğla. She plays an active role in the struggle to protect the Akbelen Forest, olive groves, and agricultural lands from coal mines and thermal power plants. She is the daughter of İkizköy Village Head Nejla Işık and is recognized as one of the young symbols of the Akbelen resistance.
On March 30, 2026, she was detained following protests that erupted during an expert inspection related to the expropriation process in Akbelen, and on March 31, she was arrested on charges of “resisting the execution of official duties.” She was first held at the Muğla Prison and later transferred to the İzmir Şakran Women’s Closed Prison. During her detention, various bar associations, environmental organizations, and democratic mass organizations called for her release.
On May 11, 2026, the Milas 3rd Criminal Court of First Instance ordered her release under the judicial control measure of a travel ban. After approximately 42 days in detention, Işık was released. In a statement following her release, she said, “I was arrested for defending my land,” and expressed that the Akbelen struggle would continue.
Latitude: 38.09836159280601
Longitude: 27.070312500000004
The trial is ongoing. The next trial will be held on 1 June 2026.
She should be acquitted.