Two more academics get sentences for peace call in Turkey

On Wednesday, two more Turkish academics were sentenced to 15 months in prison
on “terror propaganda” charges after signing a peace petition urging the Turkish
government to stop the heavy fighting in Turkey’s southeast in 2016, reported Bianet.

Calling themselves “Academics for Peace”, 1,128 Turkish academics, which later exceeded
2,000, signed a petition calling on the Turkish government to “abandon its deliberate
massacre and deportation of Kurdish and other peoples in the region” on January 10, 2016.
Entitled “We will not be party to this crime”, the petition called for an end to state violence
in predominantly Kurdish cities where citizens were suffering from long-lasting curfews and
bombardments.

In response to the peace call, Erdogan accused “those so-called intellectuals” of treason,
delivering PKK propaganda and undermining Turkey’s national security. 27 academics were
detained by police over alleged “terror propaganda” due to their signatures on the petition.
Turkish Armed Forces’ initiated a campaign against outlawed PKK in souteastern Kurdish
cities using brutal tactics and heavy weaponry.

The US ambassador to Turkey, John Bass, delivered a rare public condemnation of the
Turkish government denoting the crackdown as “chilling”.

“In democratic societies, it is imperative that citizens have the opportunity to express their
views, even controversial or unpopular ones. Expressions of concern about violence do not
equal support for terrorism.  Criticism of government does not equal treason,” Bass said in
his statement.

Many signatory academics have been sacked from their posts at the universities. Many more
were dismissed after a “state of emergency” was announced by the Turkish government
following July 15 coup attempt.

Extended seven times, the state of emergency allowed the government to bypass legislative
and judicial procedure through issuing decree laws. During the state of emergency, around
8,000 academicians were fired.

The suspended sentences for academics Deniz Parlak and SU are open to be appealed in
higher courts.

Academics who demanded peace between Turkey, Kurds receive jail sentences

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from IPA NEWS https://ipa.news/2019/03/07/two-more-academics-get-sentences-for-peace-call-in-turkey/