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.
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Founder of Turkey and Middle East Forum Foundation Being Tried for “Propagandizing for a Terrorist Organization” in Turkish Court

Dr. Fikret Baskaya, Professor of Economic Development and International Relations, and Founder and Chair of the Turkey and Middle East Forum Foundation, was charged with “Propagandizing for a Terrorist Organization” and is facing five years in prison.

November 20, 2019

Recep Tayyip Erdogan
President of Turkey
Office of the President
06573 Basbakanlik
Ankara, Turkey
Fax: +90 312 417 0476
Email: contact@tech.gov.tr

Dear President Erdogan:

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 today to express our grave and urgent concern for Dr. Fikret Baskaya, Professor of Economic Development and International Relations and founder and Chairman of the Turkey and Middle East Forum Foundation.  Dr. Baskaya is the author of several books and articles on development economics.  He also wrote a regular newspaper opinion column.  Dr. Baskaya has been charged with “terrorist propaganda” for what would usually be considered a citizen’s simple expression of their views.  This charge is from a single article that was published in November 2016 and for which he is facing imprisonment of up to five years.

This goes against many Human Rights agreements to which Turkey is a party:  the UN Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights (which guarantee freedom of expression), as well as the European Convention on Human Rights and Turkey’s own Constitution.  Peaceful criticism of the State’s policies cannot reasonably be said to meet the criteria of encouraging terrorism.

CCS, at this time is asking that you carefully review Dr. Baskaya’s case, dismiss the charges and release him.  There is urgency to this request in that Dr. Baskaya goes to Court on November 22, 2019 at Ankara’s 21 Heavy Criminal Court.

Dr. Baskaya is extremely talented and will readily serve your country and the community.  Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

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

Cc:
Mr. Abdulhamit Gul
Minister of Justice
06659 Kizilay, Ankara

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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