Professor Busra Ersanli, one of more than 2,000 signatories of the group, Academics for Peace, who signed a petition asking the government to discontinue the heavy-handed way they were dealing with the Kurdish citizens, was sentenced to 15 months in jail - finding her guilty of terrorist propaganda. Erdogan criticized the signatories and said they were equal to terrorists. Link: ... Continue Reading>>
Retired Turkish Professor, Dr. Ayse Erzan, Returns to Court on April 6
The Statement of the Defense to the Court by Dr. Ayse Erzan is published in its entirety in Bianet. She is being tried under charges of "terrorist propaganda" for signing the Peace Petition, requesting the government to end the violence and open the way to dialogue and a lasting peace. Originally, this statement was presented to the Court on February 21, 2018. The hearing was rescheduled for ... Continue Reading>>
Peace Petition Signatories Call for Solidarity as First Trials Begin
Before the failed coup attempt academics throughout Turkey signed a "Peace Petition" calling for better treatment of the Kurds. There was an immediate response from the government that began as investigations into the signers, followed by many being suspended or terminated from their positions at their institutions. Following the coup attempt the signers of the Peace Petition were included in the ... Continue Reading>>
Call for Solidarity: 44 Turkish Academics Who Signed the ‘Peace Petition’ Terminated from Their Jobs, Additionally, Over 2300 Turkish Academics Targeted Following Failed Coup
The academics who signed the Peace Petition prior to the coup attempt in Turkey have now been linked by the State with those who perpetrated the Coup. The signers noted they they had nothing to do with the coup, did not agree with it, did not participate in it and that their action well preceded the coup situation. Their petition was done in the open and sent to the authorities. It was not ... Continue Reading>>