Italian feminist lawyer Barbara Spinelli came to Istanbul to attend an international law conference titled “The Judicial System in Turkey Under State of Emergency Conditions”, but was refused entry in the airport, citing there was a ban for her.

Spinelli said the following in her statement on the matter:

“I landed in Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport from Bologna airport on February 13, 2017. I was to travel to Ankara from there for a meeting. I was told there was an order banning my entry to the country in Istanbul. They told me that they had to send me back to Italy ‘for the safety of Turkey’. I told them I wasn’t going anywhere, and I demanded to learn why there was a ban order. I told them they had to give me a document if they are to send me back. They took me to a room. They wanted to confiscate my phone and my planner but I didn’t give them. They wanted to take them by force, and I told them I am a lawyer and I know the law. I resisted and didn’t give them. They took the battery of my phone. I was kept in a room under video surveillance the whole night. Then they deported me back to Italy at 11:30 the next day.”

The unlawful deportation of the Italian lawyer raised great interest in the Italian media.