Dismissals, Prosecutions Create Campus Climate of Fear
The Turkish government’s dismissal of thousands of academics and the prosecution of hundreds more, together with interference with academics’ work and student protests, is leading to self-censorship and hollowing out academic freedom in the country, Human Rights Watch said today.
Academics Murat Koyuncu and Bülent Eken have had their first hearings and academics Neşe Yıldıran and Çağla Diner have had their second hearings.
Trials of academics, who have been charged with "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" for having signed the declaration entitled "We will not be a party to this crime" prepared by the Academics for Peace, continued in İstanbul Çağlayan Courthouse at three different courts today (May 10).
Three academics have had their second hearings at the 36th Heavy Penal Court and two academics have had their first hearings at the 37th Heavy Penal Court. All of the hearings have been adjourned.
Trials of academics, who have been charged with "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" for having signed the declaration entitled "We will not be a party to this crime" prepared by the Academics for Peace, continued in İstanbul Çağlayan Courthouse at the 36th and 37th Heavy Penal Courts today (May 8).
Court has rejected demands that files be combined and research assistant Acar from faculty of Education Sciences and Soysal from Atatürk Institute at Boğaziçi University be acquitted.
First hearings of two academics in lawsuit launched against signatories of the declaration entitled “We will not be a party to this crime” released by Academics for Peace were held at İstanbul Courthouse.
Academics Mahmut Çınar from Bahçeşehir University and Gizem Sayın from the Faculty of Law at Kadir Has University have had their first hearings at the 37th Heavy Penal Court.
Trials of academics, who have been charged with "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" for having signed the declaration entitled "We will not be a party to this crime" prepared by the Academics for Peace, continued in İstanbul Çağlayan Courthouse today (May 3).
2018 Courage to Think Defender Award has been granted to Academics for Peace due to their extraordinary efforts to form solidarity at universities and encourage academic freedom, freedom of questioning and peaceful exchange of ideas.
Scholars at Risk has given 2018 Courage to Think Defender Award to Academics for Peace.
Assoc. Prof. Merve Didem Dayı has been sentenced to 1 year and 3 months in prison; her sentence has been suspended. Müftüoğlu, Durakbaşa, Yapıştıran, Taşkın and Akça have presented their statements of defence.
Trials of academics, who have been charged with "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" for having signed the declaration entitled "We will not be a party to this crime" prepared by the Academics for Peace, continued in İstanbul Çağlayan Courthouse yesterday (April 24).
Presiding Judge of İstanbul 14th Heavy Penal Court has asked the academic, “Why didn't you sign such declarations before even though several terrorist attacks were carried out?”
Trials of academics, who have been charged with "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" for having signed the declaration entitled "We will not be a party to this crime" prepared by the Academics for Peace, continued at the 36th, 34th and 14th Heavy Penal Courts today (April 19).
Second hearings of four academics and first hearings of three academics have been held. Academics Alper, Eksen and Çağlayan have made their statements of defense.
Hearings of academics, who have been standing trial on charge of “propagandizing for a terrorist organization” for having signed the declaration entitled “We will not be a party to this crime” prepared by Academics for Peace, continued in İstanbul 36th, 34th, and 14th Heavy Penal Courts.
Scholars at Risk (SAR) has announced Turkey’s Academics for Peace (Barış İçin Akademisyenler) as recipients of the 2018 Courage to Think Defender Award, for their extraordinary efforts in building academic solidarity and in promoting the principles of academic freedom, freedom of inquiry, and the peaceful exchange of ideas. The award, which will be presented at the Scholars at Risk Network 2018 Global Congress, will be accepted on behalf of the group by Muzaffer Kaya, of Technische Universität Berlin, and Tebessüm Yılmaz, of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.
