Espionage accusations: a pressure tactic for Turkish government critics

When police officers appeared at her home in Istanbul last Wednesday evening, Yonca Verdioglu Sik was surprised — even more so when they took her in for questioning. Her lawyer says she was accused of political and military espionage.

But, according to transcripts of the interrogation that were published later, Verdioglu Sik was never asked any questions about espionage. Instead the public prosecutor's office appeared to be more interested in the activities of the German organization, the Heinrich Böll Foundation, for whom Verdioglu Sik works. For 18 years, Verdioglu Sik, who was born and raised in Germany, has been the foundation's project coordinator. In her role, she organizes projects that focus on democracy and women's, minority and LGBTQ+ rights.

During the interrogation, transfers of money from the foundation into her bank account were discussed. Verdioglu Sik found out that she was now subject to a travel ban too.

Verdioglu Sik was eventually released. Nonetheless her arrest caused outrage among critics of the Turkish government. Sik is married to investigative journalist and member of parliament, Ahmet Sik. He belongs to the left-wing Workers' Party of Turkey, or TIP, and is known as one of the current government's harshest critics.

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