Türkü Avcı, a 27-year-old Turkish student at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who became Israel's most prominent defender after October 7, is granted refugee status in Israel for a year after the Turkish authorities accused her of social media posts criticizing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Abci says returning to Turkey would expose her to immediate arrest, while reports on her case say the charges could carry up to six years in prison and the loss of certain civil rights.

Türkü Avcı, a 27-year-old Turkish student at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who became Israel's most prominent defender after October 7, is granted refugee status in Israel for a year after the Turkish authorities accused her of social media posts criticizing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Abci says returning to Turkey would expose her to immediate arrest, while reports on her case say the charges could carry up to six years in prison and the loss of certain civil rights.

Abchi began to publicly defend Israel after experiencing the October 7 Hamas attacks while studying in Jerusalem. She described herself as Turkish, Muslim and Zionist, criticized the Turkish media's coverage of Israel and accused Erdogan of anti-Semitism after he prayed to Allah to "destroy Israeli Israel". Abci also reported threats against herself and her family, with her parents' photos, names and address being circulated online in Turkey. She previously said the controversy cost her friends and scholarship and left her unable to return home safely, but vowed to continue advocating for Israel and for closer Israel-Turkey relations.

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