On January 11th, 2016, 1128 academics put forward a declaration demanding an end to the violence in the Kurdish problem, calling for negotiations for peace, and warned the government regarding these issues.
Academics, like all people, have the right to freedom of thought and expression. The right to freedom of expression is one of the basic human rights, and it is the basis of social existence in a democratic society. All supranational charters guarantee the freedom of thought and expression. European Court of Human Rights and Constitutional Court of Turkey have precedents in this regard. Freedom of expression is both an individual as well as a collective right. Academic freedom, the most direct realization of this right, is absolute, and cannot be restricted in any way. In addition, criticism of those who exercise public power (given by their constituents) and of their actions falls under the broadest protection of freedom of expression in all democratic societies.
The 1128 academics have acted under these universal principles and expressed their most basic of democratic rights, and have issued a warning, one which we also support, about the severe rights violations committed during the ongoing armed conflicts in Turkey. As a result of the Turkish President’s rebuttal made in the name of the Government of the Republic of Turkey, the academics were castigated and made the targets of a campaign of social lynching and the ensuing witch hunt. This is nothing less than a trampling of the principles of democracy, academic freedom, and the freedom of expression.
Following the statements of the President, the Council of Higher Education, as expected of them, set a number of universities in motion to initiate administrative inquiries about the academics. These actions resulted in the cancellation of contracts for some academics and the suspension of others, all typical of an authoritarian government’s practices. Furthermore, the right to life and the right to liberty and security of these academics are clearly threatened as they are made the targets of racist and authoritarian elements through a social lynching campaign executed through social media. And in a marked contrast with these worrying developments, the notorious crime boss Sedat Peker’s open death threats on the academics garnered little response from public prosecutors, indicating a period of an obvious loss of rationale in Turkey.
The targeting of any and all individuals who strive for a democratic and peaceful resolution of the Kurdish issue in the face of violent and heavy-handed government policies, may pave the way towards dire consequences for Turkish society and could threaten the country’s domestic peace and security.
We would like to point out that not only are these peace-seeking academics, these exemplary representatives of our universities and guardians of academic freedom, not alone in their cause, but that their noble gesture will prevail as historically significant, similar to the declaration of luminaries that was published following the September 12th, 1980 coup d’etat in Turkey. We, therefore, announce that the human rights movements in Turkey and around the world stand firmly by these signatory academics who have taken a firm stand for international human rights and freedoms.
Human Rights Association (HRA)
Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (HRFT)