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Releasing a joint statement regarding the prison sentence given to Şebnem Korur Fincancı, a signatory to the declaration “We will not be a party to this crime”, rights and law organizations have said, “Advocacy for human rights cannot be sentenced.”

Rights and law organizations have held a press conference at the İstanbul Medical Chamber for Prof. Dr. Şebnem Korur Fincancı, who is a signatory to the declaration entitled "We will not be a party to this crime" and was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison.

The first group of Turkish Academics who received indictments have been brought before the courts recently. 700 (of 1,128) have been questioned by police, 542 have been indicted and are in some phase of the trial process. 59 have been sentenced to 15 months, 3 have been sentenced to 18 months, one to 27 months and one to 30 months. All had their sentences deferred except for those refusing to agree to the postponement of the announcement of the verdict, and those whose sentences exceeded two years.

At the 28th İstanbul Heavy Penal Court, academic Gülçin Karabağ has been sentenced to 1 year and 3 months in prison on charge of “propagandizing for a terrorist organization”; the announcement of the verdict has been suspended.

Trial 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 (December 18).

"Violence scars more than just the social fabric of our communities, more than tissues of our flesh, it scars our human souls, it dehumanizes us."

We are sharing the statement of Prof. Dr. Abbas Vali from Boğaziçi University, who has 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 and had his fourth hearing at the İstanbul 36th Heavy Penal Court.