Committee of Concerned Scientists

An international non-profit organization of scientists, physicians, engineers and scholars dedicated to protecting the human rights and scientific freedom of our colleagues around the world.

An independent non-profit organization of scientists, physicians, engineers and scholars dedicated to protecting the human rights and scientific freedom of our colleagues around the world.
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Annual Reports
    • Contact Information
    • History
    • Leadership
  • CCS Active Case Updates
  • Human Rights Resources
    • Human Rights Orgs
    • General HR Res
    • US Govt Agencies
  • Donations

New Court Date for Turkish Writers and Head of the Department of Forensic Medicine at Istanbul University

October 28, 2016

Dr. Sebnem Korur Fincanci, Professor and head of the Department of Forensic Medicine at Istanbul University, along with two prominent journalists, Erol Onderoglu and Ahmet Nesin, will go to trial on November 8. They have been charged with “terror propaganda.” These charges preceded the attempted coup in Turkey and these individuals had nothing to do with that event. CCS has advocated for these individuals in a letter to the Minister of Justice sent on June 23rd.

CCS is now requesting that the US Ambassador have a representative of the Embassy present at this court date to assure a fair and just trial and to assure due process.

October 27, 2016

Ambassador John Bass
U.S. Embassy Ankara
110 Atatürk Blvd.
Kavaklıdere, 06100 Ankara – Turkey
Phone: (90-312) 455-5555
Fax: (90-312) 467-0019
@USEmbassyTurkey

Dear Ambassador Bass:

The Committee of Concerned Scientists is an independent organization of scientists, physicians, engineers and scholars devoted to the protection and advancement of human rights and scientific freedom for colleagues all over the world.

We write on behalf of our colleague Dr. Şebnem Korur Fincancı, professor and head of the Department of Forensic Medicine at Istanbul University, whom Turkish authorities arrested on June 20, on the orders of Istanbul’s Second Criminal Court of Peace. Professor Fincancı, who is President of the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey, has been charged with “terror propaganda” along with two prominent writers, Erol Önderoğlu and Ahmet Nesin, who were also arrested on the same day and the same charge.  (These charges preceded the coup attempt and these individuals’ charges are unrelated to the coup situation.)

Dr. Şebnem Korur Fincancı is a leading expert on applying forensic sciences to analyze the effects of torture. She was given the International Medical Peace Award by the International Rehabilitation Council of Torture Victims for her role in establishing the Istanbul Protocol, an international standard for investigating and documenting claims of torture.  Dr. Fincancı is a citizen and scholar of whom all Turkey should be proud.

We wrote to the Government of Turkey on June 23 to express our concerns that fundamental human rights are being violated in this case. Now, we have learned that they face a November 8 court date, and we write to urge you to send a U.S. government representative to attend and monitor this hearing. Given the current deteriorating human rights climate in Turkey, and given the dubious nature of the charges in this case, independent observation of the proceedings is imperative to ensure some level of justice and fairness.

It appears that the arrests of these three were in response to their participating as “on-duty editor-in-chief” in support of the newspaper Özgür Gündem (Free Agenda), a pro-Kurdish daily. These arrests are part of an intense crackdown on basic human rights in Turkey, specifically the fundamental rights to freedom of expression and freedom of the press. Turkey is a member of the Council of Europe and has signed the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. These all require the Government of Turkey to defend, not attack, freedom of expression, which is also protected in the Turkish Constitution.

Please let us know if you will be able to appoint a U.S. Government representative to monitor this case, in which human rights, academic freedom, and scientific integrity are at stake. Thank you for addressing our concerns. We look forward to receiving your response.

Sincerely,

Joel L. Lebowitz, Paul H. Plotz, Walter Reich,
Eugene M. Chudnovsky, Alexander Greer
Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists

Copies to:

Minister of Justice
Mr. Bekir Bozdağ
Ministry of Justice
Adalet Bakanlığı
06659 Ankara, Turkey
Fax: +90 312 417 71 13

Minister of Interior
Mr. Efkan Ala
İçişleri Bakanlığı
Bakanlıklar
Ankara, Turkey
Fax: +90 312 418 1795

Prime Ministry Human Rights Board
Dr. Hikmet Tülen
İnsan Hakları Başkanı
Yüksel Caddesi No:23, Kat 3 Yenişehir
06650 Ankara, Turkey
Fax: +90 (312) 422 29 96
Email: tihk@tihk.gov.tr

Ambassador Serdar Kılıç
Embassy of the Republic of Turkey
2525 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20008
Phone: 1 202 612 6700/1
Fax: 1 202 612 6744
Email: embassy.washingtondc@mfa.gov.tr

Related articles
  • Turkish Court Orders Two Press Freedom Activists Released From Prison (voanews.com)

Filed Under: Turkey Tagged With: Academics, Ahmet Nesin, Erol Önderoğlu, Scientists, Şebnem Korur Fincancı, Turkey

Who We Are

Co-chairs

Joel L. Lebowitz, Rutgers University

Paul H. Plotz, M.D., Washington, DC

Walter Reich, George Washington University

Eugene Chudnovsky, Lehman College

Alexander Greer, Brooklyn College

Vice-chairs

Astronomy – Arno Penzias, New Enterprises Associates*

Biology – Max E. Gottesman, Columbia University

Chemistry – Zafra Lerman, MIMSAD Inc.

Computer Science – Rachelle Heller, The George Washington University

Computer Science – Jack Minker, University of Maryland, College Park

Engineering – Philip Sarachik, NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering

Mathematics – Simon Levin, Princeton University

Medical Sciences – J. Joseph Blum, Duke University

Honorary Board Members

Nancy Andrews, Duke University

David Baltimore, California Institute of Technology*

Alan J. Bard, University of Texas

Jacob Bigeleisen (deceased), SUNY, Stony Brook

Raoul Bott (deceased), Harvard University

Owen Chamberlain (deceased), University of California, Berkeley

Stanley Deser, Brandeis University

Edward Gerjuoy, University of Pittsburg

David Gross, (2004 Nobel Prize in Physics), Kavil Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara*

Pierre Hohenberg (deceased), New York University

Walter Kohn (deceased), University of California, Santa Barbara*

James Langer, University of California, Santa Barbara

Peter Lax, New York University

Louis Nirenberg, New York University

Marshall Nirenberg (deceased), National Institutes of Health*

Honorary Board Members

John C. Polanyi, University of Toronto*

Stuart Rice, University of Chicago

Sir Richard J. Roberts, (1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology & Medicine), New England Biolabs*

Myriam Sarachick, City College of New York

Harold Scheraga, Cornell University

Sylvan Schweber (deceased), Brandeis University

Maxine Singer, Carnegie Institution of Washington

Alfred I. Tauber, Boston University

Steven Weinberg, University of Texas, Austin*

Myrna Weissman, Columbia University

Rosalyn S. Yalow (deceased), Mount Sinai School of Medicine*

* Nobel laureate

Search Site

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Search in posts
Search in pages
Filter by Categories
Additional Information
Angola
Annual Reports
Australia
Bahrain
Belarus
Belgium
Brazil
Bulgaria
Cameroon
CCS Board
CCS Cases
Chile
China
Colombia
Cuba
Egypt
Ethiopia
France
Germany
Good News
Greece
Highlights
History
Human Rights Resources
India
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Italy
Malaysia
Morocco
North America Issues
Pakistan
Pakistan
Palestinian Territories
Peru
Petitions
Poland
Press
Previous Highlights
Prominent Cases
Related Articles
Reports
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Spain
Sudan
Swaziland
Syria
Thailand
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United Nations
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam

View Results in New Window...

Browse by Country

Archives

Join Us

Become a member of our humanitarian enterprise.

Sign up

Support CCS

Remember to register with AmazonSmiles as a donor to the Committee of Concerned Scientists. Then anytime you shop there CCS will receive a donation from Amazon. Since people spend a lot during this time of year it can benefit CCS greatly if you remember to do this. There is no additional cost to you.

FURTHER DIRECTIONS

Translate This Page

Click on the flags or use the menu below for a translation of this page.

[google-translator]

Press Enter to Search

Like us on Facebook

Committee of Concerned Scientists

c/o Alexandra R. Bender, Executive Director
P.O. Box 4525
Easton, PA 18043
Phone: (570) 994-2093
abender@concernedscientists.org

Copyright © 2023 • Concerned Sci Child Theme on Genesis Framework • WordPress • Log in