Academics for Peace

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The academics for peace initiative opposes the military action of the Turkish government in southeastern Turkey and calls for a peaceful solution through negotiation.

The initiative appeared on January 11, 2016 with the petition “We will not be part of this crime”. The petition is addressed to the Turkish state. At the time of publication, 1,128 Turkish and foreign academics from 90 universities had signed the petition. The Turkish government sees in the allegations of the petition terrorist propaganda and an insult to the Turkish state and is taking criminal and disciplinary action against numerous signatories with the Academics for Peace process . There has been broad international resistance to this.

background

At the time of the petition on January 11, 2016, the Turkish offensive against the PKK , which began in June 2015, had already lasted more than six months and resulted in numerous deaths. Shortly before the petition was published, around Christmas 2015, serious attacks by the Turkish army against positions of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) reportedly killed 200 people.

Content of the petition

accusations

  • Extermination and expulsion policy towards the entire population of the region, but mainly against the Kurdish population
  • Weeks of curfew in Sur, Silvan, Nusaybin, Cizre and in many other places lead to starvation and dying of thirst among the population
  • Whole neighborhoods and districts are attacked with heavy weapons under warlike conditions
  • Human rights are violated or overridden: the right to life and physical integrity, in particular the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment as well as practically all freedoms protected by the constitution and international agreements signed by Turkey
  • Serious interference in the legal system of Turkey, as there is no legal basis for the targeted and systematically implemented violent procedure
  • Violation of international law

requirements

  • Cessation of the offensive and immediate lifting of all curfews
  • The perpetrators and those responsible for human rights violations must be held accountable
  • Material and immaterial damage to the population must be documented and repaired
  • Free access for independent observers from home and abroad to the destroyed areas in order to assess and document the situation on site.
  • Submission of a roadmap by the government that enables negotiations and takes into account the demands of the political representation of the Kurdish movement. The aim is to create conditions for a peaceful settlement of the conflict
  • Allow independent public observers to attend the negotiations in order to involve the general public in this process
  • Immediate cessation of state repression against the citizens

rest

  • Expression of readiness to participate voluntarily in the peace process
  • Rejection of all repressive measures aimed at suppressing social opposition
  • Declaration not to become part of these crimes and to take the initiative in political parties, in parliament and among the international public until the issue is heard

Reactions of the Turkish state to the petition

Reactions from President Erdoğan

In a speech on January 12, 2016, on the occasion of the terrorist attack on Sultan Ahmed Square in Istanbul, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan described the signatories as a “gang of ignorant, dark figures” and “traitors”. He said that anyone wishing to pursue politics outside of parliament “should dig trenches or go into the mountains”, alluding to the Kurdish Workers' Party PKK. "It makes no difference whether someone shoots bullets in the name of a terrorist organization or whether he is doing propaganda for them." He emphasized "Whoever eats the bread of this state but betrays it should be punished" and called on the judiciary on the occasion to to do what is necessary against this “betrayal” by “pseudo-scientists”.

Erdoğan urged the petition's foreign signatories such as Noam Chomsky , Judith Butler and Esra Ozyurek to travel to southeast Turkey and see for themselves. At the same time, however, he rejected the signatories' request to call in international observers for the clashes in southeastern Turkey, as this demand showed a “colonial mentality”.

Criminal Actions: Arrests and Trial

In March the Turkish judiciary brought charges in the “Academics for Peace” trial of “terrorist propaganda” and “insulting Turkey”.

The legal basis for punishing “terrorist propaganda” is Section 7/2 of the Turkish Anti-Terror Law. This provision allows for a broad interpretation. Although Turkey is obliged to protect the right to freedom of expression under Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 10 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms , to allow restrictions on freedom of expression only under very strict conditions, such as, for example Propaganda for war or calls to violence are missing this restriction in the Turkish anti-terror law. This paragraph has been used repeatedly in the past to punish non-violent expression of opinion regarding the rights of Kurds and the government's Kurdish policy.

27 scientists were arrested for signing the petition. 14 signatories were arrested at the University of Kocaeli alone . Criminal investigations are said to have been initiated against 421 of the scientists.

Disciplinary Actions: Dismissals and Suspensions

30 scientists were released and 38 more were fired. A teachers' union reported that 153 cases had been initiated against signatories to date. Nine teachers have been fired and another 27 have been suspended. As of June 2016, 513 disciplinary proceedings and 37 layoffs as well as early retirement and 11 forced resignations were reported.

As of March 17, 2017, the Academics for Peace website lists a total of 389 signatories removed from service by decree, dismissal or forced early retirement and 491 initiated disciplinary proceedings.

As a result of the failed attempted military coup on July 15, 2016 , the situation has worsened. On September 1, 2016, the government passed three emergency ordinances, with which a total of over 40,000 state employees who are believed to be linked to the coup plotters were alleged to have been dismissed. Among the 2,346 dismissed academics there are 44 signatories of the petition.

In an appeal for solidarity, the Academics for Peace point out that no appeal can be lodged against the dismissal under the emergency legislation and that the passports of those affected will be confiscated.

Further consequences for the signatories

Numerous signatories report threatening anonymous phone calls and emails. Some lecturers found the doors of their offices smeared after media affiliated with the ruling Justice and Recovery Party (AKP) openly called on students in the country to boycott the lessons of the so-called "traitors to the country". Some of them received death threats on social media.

As a result, numerous researchers have left Turkey. The American solidarity network “Scholars at Risk”, which offers refuge to threatened scientists abroad in their home country and to which several German universities belong, has recorded more than 300 applications from academics from Turkey since July 15, 2016. That is more than the combined total of 15 years since the organization was founded.

Turkish reactions to state repression

The largest opposition party , the CHP, called the crackdown on the academics “illegal, unacceptable and extremely dangerous”. The pro-Kurdish opposition party HDP demanded the immediate release of those arrested.

The declaration was the template for around 60 other professional groups who have drawn up similar petitions. For example, 558 writers supported a similar appeal.

The Boğaziçi Üniversitesi publicly protested against the dismissal of two professors from its college with an event and a press release. The most prestigious university in Turkey with strong ties to the USA was the first university in Turkey in which the college of professors showed solidarity with those who were removed from their offices.

Foreign reactions to state repression

United States

The US embassy in Turkey published a statement by John Bass on Twitter, in which he expressed his concern about the government's actions and warned that citizens in democracies must be able to express controversial opinions. "Government criticism is not the same as treason," said the US embassy.

The non-profit organizations Research Institute on Turkey and Bostonbul from the USA started a fundraising campaign in March 2017 to grant dismissed signatories a six-month scholarship equal to the Turkish minimum wage.

Germany

The initiative was awarded the Aachen Peace Prize in May 2016 .

The following German institutions have expressed their solidarity with the "Academics for Peace" initiative:

More voices

Scientists around the world expressed their solidarity with the signatories. The Berlin Social Science Center wrote: "We at the WZB declare our solidarity with the Turkish scientists and support them in their right to freedom of expression."

In the aftermath of the publication, another 1,084 academics had signed the petition by January 21, bringing the number of signatories to 2,212.

The following institutions have expressed their solidarity with the “Academics for Peace” initiative:

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Erdoğan arrests academics for protest letters. In: sueddeutsche.de. January 15, 2016. Retrieved August 28, 2017 .
  2. ↑ 200 dead in the Turkish offensive against the PKK. In: zeit.de. December 25, 2015, accessed January 21, 2020 .
  3. ↑ Turkey arrested 27 scientists for criticizing the government. In: diepresse.com. January 15, 2016, accessed June 3, 2019 .
  4. ^ A b Luise Sammann: At large, but not acquitted. In: deutschlandfunk.de. April 23, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2017 .
  5. ↑ Ceylan Yeginsu: Turkey Releases Detained Academics Who Signed Petition Defending Kurds. In: nytimes.com. January 15, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2017 (American English).
  6. ↑ SPIEGEL ONLINE, Hamburg Germany: Arrests after a peace call: Erdogan puts the police on the necks of scientists. In: SPIEGEL ONLINE. Retrieved April 23, 2016 .
  7. ↑ Cavidan Soykan: The Risk of freedom of expression in the Turkish universities. In: PERIPHERAL. Politics - Economy - Culture. Retrieved September 7, 2016 .
  8. ↑ Turkey: Scientists in custody for Kurdish petition. In: www.handelsblatt.com. Retrieved April 22, 2016 .
  9. ^ Rights violations against "Academics for Peace". Retrieved March 17, 2017 .
  10. ^ Dismissal of Academics for Peace members from their posts. In: frontlinedefenders.org. Retrieved September 7, 2016 .
  11. ↑ Urgent Call for Solidarity! In: barisicinakademisyenler.net. Retrieved September 7, 2016 .
  12. ^ Escape into exile: academics leave Turkey. (No longer available online.) In: zeit.de. July 14, 2017, archived from the original on October 5, 2017 ; accessed on August 29, 2017 .
  13. ↑ a b Academics arrested for calling for peace. In: zeit.de. January 15, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2017 .
  14. ^ Elisabeth Kimmerle: Only one signature. In: taz.de. February 27, 2017. Retrieved August 29, 2017 .
  15. ^ Boğaziçi University Academics Protest Dismissal Of Colleagues. In: stockholmcf.org. Stockholm Center for Freedom, March 13, 2017, accessed August 30, 2017 .
  16. ↑ US Embassy Turkey: Statement by Ambassador John Bass on free expressionpic.twitter.com/lqEOvP9Ijg. In: @USEmbassyTurkey. January 15, 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2017 .
  17. ^ Online Campaign Stands in Solidarity with 'Academics for Peace' in Turkey. In: armenianweekly.com. March 14, 2017, accessed on August 23, 2019 .
  18. ↑ Bostonbul: Solidarity with Purged Academics for Peace in Turkey. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on March 15, 2017 ; accessed on March 17, 2017 .
  19. ↑ Kurt Kunig, kupix webdesign, Juelich: Year 2016 - Aachen Peace Prize. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on August 19, 2017 ; Retrieved August 19, 2017 .
  20. ↑ a b Universities and institutions that express solidarity with Academics for Peace | Barış İçin Akademisyenler. Retrieved August 22, 2017 .
  21. ↑ WZB supports “Academics for Peace” | WZB. In: www.wzb.eu. Retrieved April 24, 2016 .