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Lizzie Porter

@lcmporter.bsky.social

963 followers 284 following 545 posts

Award-winning correspondent based in Turkey for The National newspaper. English, français, العربيّة, فارسى, Türkçe öğreniyorum. I like elegant writing, translation, textiles, and the sea. All views are my own.

Posts Replies Media

Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Germany says an investigation isn't "necessary"; Norway says it's not investigating; Sweden wouldn't comment. These countries (& others) could investigate alleged crimes against humanity in #Iran. Why aren't they? My report on accountability's long haul. www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

thenationalnews.com

How Iran gets away with it: The struggle to bring 'architects of atrocities' to trial | The National

Abuses in Syria and Ukraine being investigated in Europe, but Iran is a different story

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Reposted by Lizzie Porter

Mohamad Bazzi @mbazzi.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

“Show This to Anyone Denying Genocide” — front page of @scotnational.bsky.social

“Show This to Anyone Denying Genocide” — front page headline of The National, Scotland

Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

An Iranian court has rejected the appeal of singer Parastoo Ahmadi & her team against a sentence of 74 lashes & a ban on work & travel. The US-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Centre has said lashings are a “degrading & violent punishment”. www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

thenationalnews.com

Iranian court rejects appeal of singer sentenced to 74 lashes | The National

Parastoo Ahmadi and her team face flogging and travel ban over performance without hijab

Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

A US sanctions push against #Iran's aviation sector means normal Iranians are ever more isolated from the world. You want to take your exams, see your family, build your business. You cannot. My report from Istanbul. www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

thenationalnews.com

The 2,400km road to Tehran: Iranians 'totally isolated' by flight bans make weary journey from Turkey | The National

Special report: Already blockaded at sea, the walls are closing in on Iran’s airspace as US sanctions intensify

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Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Turkey will hold presidential elections in 2028, senior government officials have said, opening the way for incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdogan to extend his rule, which could run to three decades. www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

thenationalnews.com

Erdogan to compete in 2028 elections, Turkish officials say | The National

Long-time President to run for another term amid pressure on opposition

Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

In particular thanks to Dr Cem Dural, my surgeon, for his significant skill, warmth and patience, and psychologist Dr Burcu Özcan, and my family, friends, and colleagues who have been nothing but amazing.

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Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

As the weeks wore on, the prospect of mental recovery overwhelmed me. But I also held onto this thought: I do not want the existence I had when I was anorexic - the listlessness, the social exclusion. I get to choose. I am still choosing life.

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Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

I often wandered back from hospital appointments down steep Istanbul alleyways to the seafront. Amid old wooden houses painted white, wild plums and unripe blackberries as hard and lumpy as the tumour removed from my neck lined the pathways. August heat brimmed in the air.

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Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

I switched off notifications on my social media, and turned off the news. Instead I read voraciously, bought myself some nice clothes to try to cheer myself up.

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Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

I started skipping meals and fainting. How easily I tripped back down the slippery slope towards my eating disorder. I had not been this bad since my second hospital admission 12 years ago.

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Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Surgeons in İstanbul removed my tumour along with half my thyroid and 13 lymph nodes. Thankfully, they found no spread of the cancer. The first weeks were painful, but the physical malaise was minimal compared with my mental turmoil.

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Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

If I'm honest, that wasn't my greatest worry. The idea of having my thyroid removed & the possible effects on my metabolism, & weight gain, were enough to tip me back into nasty anorexic habits. Cancer was treatable by doctors; anorexia is not, not really, apart from thru my own sheer willpower.

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Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Tears came suddenly. As one of my doctors said, “you are healthy, but you have cancer.” I steadied myself with the knowledge that the vast majority of thyroid cancers are treated successfully.

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Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

4 months ago, I was as healthy as I knew how to be. I ran marathons & after 15 years of struggling with anorexia had essentially healed my relationship with food. Then I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, and later with an autoimmune condition that may affect me for the rest of my life.

Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Iranian authorities used murder, torture, enforced disappearance, imprisonment & rape to crush an uprising sparked in Sep 2022 by the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, acc. to a 1000-page @amnesty.org report released on the 4th anniversary of her death. www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

thenationalnews.com

Architects of brutal women's rights crackdown consolidate their power in Iran | The National

Authorities used murder, torture and rape to quash uprising, says report released before fourth anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death in custody

Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Before my cancer diagnosis and medical leave, I spent six months investigating the killing of a man called Ahmed Farhat in southern Damascus last year, and his British son’s quest for justice. www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

thenationalnews.com

A fatal shooting, a seized villa and a Lime bike chase: British man’s quest for justice in Syria | The National

UK acknowledges 'devastating circumstances’ of British citizen after his father’s detention and killing outside Damascus

Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Iran has executed two men allegedly affiliated with an ISIS cell, the judiciary and monitoring groups based outside the country have said. www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

thenationalnews.com

Iran executes two men accused of links to ISIS | The National

Executions part of surge in Iran's use of death penalty, human rights groups say

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Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

#Nato launched major projects on maritime security and counter-drone work that will boost responses to threats faced by partners in the Gulf, assistant deputy secretary general Javier Colomina told me at the summit in Ankara www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

thenationalnews.com

Nato launches anti-drone and maritime security projects to help protect Gulf | The National

Javier Colomina, special representative for the Middle East, tells The National about 'extremely current' initiative

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Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

US President Donald Trump said he would lift sanctions on Turkey and consider selling F-35 jets to the country after arriving in Ankara for a high-stakes Nato summit. www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

thenationalnews.com

Trump lifts sanctions on Turkey and hails 'good chemistry' with Erdogan | The National

US President heaps praise on Turkish leader at Nato summit, as his criticism of Europe continues

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Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

After a crackdown on major protests, economic turmoil and war, #Iranians are facing a mental health crisis. Amir Havasi & I spoke to people facing depression & anxiety, & mental health professionals seeing a surge in therapy, medication & self-medication. www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

thenationalnews.com

How mental health toll of war and repression has caused Iranians to 'fall apart inside' | The National

Residents and therapists tell The National of country's growing sense of despair and hopelessness

Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

You just couldn't even make it up www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

thenationalnews.com

$14 million hidden in the walls: Raid on home of Iraqi deputy oil minister seizes stacks of cash | The National

Cash found during investigations into Ali Maarij Al Bahadly as Baghdad widens anti-corruption drive targeting senior officials

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Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Iran Risks Peace Talks With U.S. to Maintain Leverage Over Strait www.nytimes.com/2026/06/28/w...

Iran Risks Peace Talks With U.S. to Maintain Leverage Over Strait

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Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

Iranian singer Parastoo Ahmadi and her team have been sentenced to 74 lashes and work and travel bans over a YouTube concert. Human rights campaigners are recording alarming crackdowns as the government rides high on back of deal with US vt.tiktok.com/ZSCAGX5SF/

TikTok - Make Your Day

Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Very little information on this from Turkey's side. But US says it returned back to Florida from Turkey a man who allegedly defrauded Medicare of *$2.7 bn* . Ibrahim Khaldoon Hilmi had been on the run since May 2025, the FBI said. www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

thenationalnews.com

Alleged fraudster accused of $3.7bn healthcare scam returned to US after Turkey detention | The National

Ibrahim Khaldoon Hilmi was detained in Turkey and returned to Florida, FBI says

Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

Sahba Rashtian would have been 24 this week. Instead, her sister Yalda posted pictures of her daffodil and sunflower-strewn grave on Instagram. "I am sorry that the future we imagined has become impossible.” www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

thenationalnews.com

Memory of Iranian footballers killed in anti-government protests casts shadow over World Cup | The National

Dozens of people linked to the game were detained and killed in January protests

Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

Ahead of #Iran's match against Belgium tonight, I wrote about all the Iranian footballers killed & detained in January's anti-government protests www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

thenationalnews.com

Memory of Iranian footballers killed in anti-government protests casts shadow over World Cup | The National

Dozens of people linked to the game were detained and killed in January protests

Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

The numbers are mind-bending: inflation in #Iran is crippling the quality of life of millions of people. www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

thenationalnews.com

Comparing the market in Iran: Wartime price rises hit food, phones and AC | The National

Economic crisis continues for Iranians despite US-Iran deal

Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

Ms Ahmadi’s YouTube page published a message in which she described herself as a “girl who wants to sing for the people I love”. “This is a right I could not ignore; singing for the land I love passionately." www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

thenationalnews.com

Iranian singer and team sentenced to lashes and work ban over audience-less concert | The National

Court claims Parastoo Ahmadi's 'vulgar' performance damaged 'public decency'

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Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

#Iran ‘s ultraconservatives have been rallying against a deal. They also attempt to continue to impose curbs on Iranians’ lives, even though many have made it clear that they don’t want to live by hardline rules. My piece on the extreme end of Iran’s Principalists

thenationalnews.com

War not talks: Who are Iran’s ultraconservatives? | The National

Hardliners clash with other conservatives and curb Iranians' freedoms

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Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

Why did #Iran attack #Kuwait & #Bahrain this week? Tehran feels the need to assert its strength ; it wants to deter any action by the #US or #Israel that may make it lose its leverage over #Hormuz (or appear to do so). www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

thenationalnews.com

Iran sees recent escalation as show of strength in peace negotiations | The National

Series of strikes, including attack on Kuwait airport, is Tehran's way of laying down red lines

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Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

#Iran’s middle class is disappearing. Carbohydrates are replacing protein as it becomes too expensive. Wild inflation comes on top of the trauma of war & brutal crackdown on protests in Jan. My in depth piece on an economy at the brink www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

thenationalnews.com

Broth, bargain hunting and cutbacks: How Iranians cope with 'inflation despair’ | The National

Fewer in the country have money to spend as triple-digit price rises bite

Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

Things you learn every day: the founder of Spanish fashion giant Mango Isak Andic, who plunged to his death on a hike in 2024, was born in Istanbul www.ft.com/content/0f69...

Jonathan Andic, the Mango heir turned homicide suspect

The son of the fashion brand’s founder is being investigated for foul play in connection with his father’s death

Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

“I laugh every I can’t stop laughing every time I say ‘internet pro.' It’s just a strategy for some of the internet service providers like Irancell to make some money.” www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

thenationalnews.com

Internet restored to tens of millions in Iran after three-month blackout | The National

Iranians back online after longest internet suspension in modern history

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Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

Turkish police forced the evacuation of the country’s main opposition party headquarters on Sunday, in a dramatic escalation of a legal crackdown on rivals of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

thenationalnews.com

Turkish police force opposition leader out of headquarters in chaotic scenes | The National

Ozgur Ozel's election as head of Republican People's Party had been annulled by court last week

Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Some Iranians have been attending pro-gov rallies every night for 2 months straight . But others can't stand them. “They annoy me so much,” one woman said. www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

thenationalnews.com

Iran's nightly rallies portray unity in wartime but paper over deep divides | The National

Iranians' views on 'spontaneous gatherings' reflect heightened polarisation despite near universal opposition to attacks by US and Israel

Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

Story of the day - barnacles, algae and jellyfish clinging to ships stuck around the Strait of Hormuz are damaging the vessels and making it harder for them to move when they eventually can. Great way into a serious topic www.ft.com/content/28c8...

Barnacles and jellyfish infest ships trapped in the Gulf

Sea life could impede the ability of vessels to leave the region when the conflict ends

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Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

127,000 jobs lost in a year in #Turkey's clothing, textile and leather manufacturing sectors, TEPAV report based on data from Turkey's social security institution says tepav.org.tr/tr/haberler/...

Giyim, tekstil ve deride yıllık istihdam kaybı 128 bine yaklaştı

TEPAV - Türkiye Ekonomi Politikaları Araştırma Vakfı

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Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

My indepth piece about Turkish weapons firms seeing a surge in demand in the shadow of the #Iran-US-Israel conflict as Middle Eastern countries look to shore up their air defenses www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

thenationalnews.com

'Business is good': Turkish arms firms see demand surge on back of regional conflict | The National

At an Istanbul trade show, defence contractors look to fill their order books with international custom

Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

My exclusive: #Turkey and #Iraq finalised details of a purchase by Baghdad of 20 air defence systems from Turkish state defence manufacturers, Iraq's army deputy chief of staff told me. www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

thenationalnews.com

Iraq to buy 20 air defence systems from Turkey | The National

Purchase comes after widespread strikes on Iraq during US-Israeli war with Iran

Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

How is #Iran viewing the stalemate & tit for tat in the Strait of #Hormuz? It is in no rush to enter a deal to end the conflict that would involve it giving up its new found control. My latest www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

thenationalnews.com

How does Iran view the Strait of Hormuz stalemate? | The National

Tehran in no mood for a quick deal as it seeks to leverage its ability to disrupt shipping through the waterway

Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

Iranians are living in neither war nor peace as excruciating price rises continue & an internal security crackdown intensifies. “I don't think the Islamic Republic can get out of this jam,” one woman in Tehran told me. www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

thenationalnews.com

'Truly feels like limbo': Indefinite ceasefire leaves Iranians in uncertainty | The National

Neither war nor peace as civilians struggle with rising prices and an internet blackout

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Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

A New Era and New Leadership: The Generals Who Are Running Iran www.nytimes.com/2026/04/23/w...

A New Era and New Leadership: The Generals Who Are Running Iran

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Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

The internet might be telling you these women are AI creations. That is totally wrong. They're real Iranian women, mostly detained after taking part in anti-government protests in January. www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

thenationalnews.com

Where are the eight Iranian women Trump claimed to save from execution? | The National

Despite claims the women were AI-generated, activists say they face real peril after being arrested in crackdown on anti-government protests

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Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

‏گزارش من راجع به تعدیل کار و تورم و بیکاری نتیجه‌ی ⁧‫#جنگ‬⁩ و ⁧‫#قطعی_اینترنت‬⁩ در ⁧‫#ایران‬⁩ www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

thenationalnews.com

'Zero income': Job cuts add to misery of war for Iranians | The National

Internet blackouts and soaring inflation squeeze normal Iranians' daily lives amid tense ceasefire with US and Israel

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Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

#Iranians, already facing the trauma of war & a more hardline government, have seen their incomes decimated by both conflict-related layoffs & the continuing internet blackout. My special report www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

thenationalnews.com

'Zero income': Job cuts add to misery of war for Iranians | The National

Internet blackouts and soaring inflation squeeze normal Iranians' daily lives amid tense ceasefire with US and Israel

Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

Amid the backdrop of its own conflict with #Pakistan, #Afghanistan has not escaped the fallout of the #Israel-#US-#Iran war, the Taliban-led Afghanistan Foreign Ministry official in charge of Middle East relations told me www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

thenationalnews.com

Afghanistan feels heat of Iran war as Taliban official says attacks on Gulf 'unfair' | The National

War leaves hard-up Afghanistan facing high inflation, Foreign Ministry official tells The National

Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

The #Iran war is distracting the US & other global powers from pushing for implementation of the #Gaza ceasefire deal, Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabakian told me at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey. www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

thenationalnews.com

Iran war distracting world from 'dire' conditions in Gaza, Palestine's Foreign Minister says | The National

Varsen Aghabekian tells The National that West Bank settler violence is also intensifying in shadow of regional conflict

Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

Wow stat here: — 115 of 195 American ambassadorial posts worldwide currently sit vacant @FT www.ft.com/content/5ed0... Now would be a great time to send US ambassadors to the Middle East

Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

At 3am last night, as the news broke of a ceasefire, Pouya took his motorbike and rode around the streets of #Tehran. For the first time in over a month, the skies were silent. My piece on Iranians' thoughts and feelings about the ceasefire #IranWar‌ www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

thenationalnews.com

Hope and scepticism among Iranians after ceasefire announcement | The National

Many welcome respite from attacks but fear breaches of truce and their own government's actions

Lizzie Porter @lcmporter.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

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