Academic Freedom in Critical Situation

Several academics, the majority of whom is working at universities in France, warned that academic work in Turkey is being constrained. The academics pointed to a restriction of freedom of expression and education/teaching in an oppressive environment that is created by "arbitrary" police custodies and long detention periods. The academics signed an according declaration. Their first meeting was held in Paris on 21 November.

The undersigned invited researchers and academics all over the world to participate in the international work group on the topic of "freedom of research and teaching in Turkey" and to establish representatives for the group from their own countries.

In their declaration, the academics condemned attacks and repression carried out by the government against university faculty members, writers and journalists.

The declaration was signed by Deniz Akagül, Lille University; Samim Akgönül, Strasbourg University; Salih Akın, Rouen University; Faruk Bilici, l'Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INALCO); Hamit Bozarslan, Diana Gonzalez, Cengiz Cağla and Vincent Duclert, L'Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales(EHESS); Turkish history expert Etienne Copeaux; Philippe Corcuff, L'institut d'Études Politiques de Lyon; Yves Déloye, Sciences Politiques Bordeaux and Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University; Gilles Dorronsoro, Sorbonne University; Paul Dumont, Ragıp Ege, Eric Geoffroy, Gülçin Erdi Lelendais and Deniz Günce Demirhisar, Strasbourg Marc Bloch University; Didier Francfort, Nancy University; Zeynep Gambetti, Bosporus University; İclal İncioğlu, Paris Diderot University, Paris 7; Ali Kazancigil and Lilian Mathieu, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS/ENS); Emine Sarıkartal, Nanterre University; Ferhat Taylan and Murat Yıldızoğlu, Bordeaux University.

The declaration reminded the arrests of Marmara University Faculty member Prof Büşra Ersanlı, Belge Publishing editor Ragıp Zarakolu, editor, translator and PHD student Deniz Zarakolu and political science student Büşra Beste Önder in October 2011. "The accusations against these people reached a point that is silencing independent intellectuals and threatening researchers, academics and students" it was said in the statement.

The academics stated that the opportunity of carrying out independent research in Turkey, publishing the results at university or sharing it with the public was endangered due to arbitrary arrests since 2009 and allegations of "membership of an organization". They emphasized that a high price is being paid for the struggle of social sciences and particularly political sciences for scientific and intellectual freedom in Turkey

"All sections that keep a country's scientific and academic world turning, researchers, academics, translators and students apply auto-censorship to keep themselves alive. Or they have to struggle with defaming newspaper campaigns, with the police, courts and trials. This is unacceptable. We advocate for them and together with them for the principle of academic freedom which is what connects us to them".