Martina Navratilova drops 3-word reaction on Turkish President Erdogan after armored forces run over 85-year-old Kurdish woman

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova has condemned Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, calling him "evil." Navratilova reacted to a resurfaced video from 2018 showing an 85-year-old Kurdish woman being run over by an armored military vehicle.

The tragic event took place in Diyarbakır’s Lice district in 2017, where Pakize Hazar, an elderly Kurdish woman, was crushed to death by an armored military vehicle while attempting to withdraw her pension. The video footage reveals the vehicle moving from a parked position and running over Hazar despite repeated warnings from a bystander.

The driver, Special Sergeant S.K., was briefly detained but later found free of fault by the Lice Gendarmerie Command, which controversially blamed the victim for acting carelessly.

On December 28, 2024, Navratilova reacted to the resurfaced footage that highlighted the ongoing human rights concerns under Erdogan's rule.

"Erdogan is evil," Martina Navratilova wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has faced widespread criticism for his handling of various issues, including the crackdown on political dissent and the erosion of democratic institutions. Erdogan's administration has been accused of numerous human rights violations, including the suppression of free speech, the imprisonment of journalists, and the targeting of ethnic minorities.

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"Dictators end up dead in a ditch" - Martina Navratilova weighs in on Syrian ex-President Bashar al-Assad's exile

Martina Navratilova during the 2024 Laureus World Sports Awards press conference (Image source: Getty)

Martina Navratilova shared her perspective on former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, labeling him a "dictator."

Assad's fall ended his family’s nearly 60-year-long autocratic rule, which began in 2000 and became infamous during the 13-year civil war sparked by the 2011 protests.

After Islamist-led rebels seized control of Damascus on December 8, 2024, Bashar al-Assad and his family fled to Moscow, Russia, where they were granted asylum on "humanitarian grounds."

Responding to a post by Gregg Carlstrom, The Economist's Middle East correspondent, who wryly described Russia as welcoming its "first Syrian refugee," the 18-time Grand Slam singles champion added her own remark on X (formerly Twitter):

"It never ends well for dictators - they end up dead in a ditch somewhere, executed by the mob or on the run forever."

In other news, Martina Navratilova has expressed her disappointment with the American right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson's support of Syria's former President Bashar al-Assad, following the discovery of a mass grave near Damascus, containing the remains of over 100,000 victims of Assad's oppressive regime.