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Date published: 10 January 2019 09:24

~ Modified On: 10 January 2019 10:05

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TRIAL OF ACADEMICS

Deferred Prison Sentence of 1 Year, 3 Months for 10 Academics

10 academics have been sentenced to 1 year, 3 months in prison for “propagandizing for a terrorist organization.” While the announcement of nine verdicts has been suspended, the sentence of Esra Arsan has been deferred on a two-year probation.

Tansu Pişkin

Deferred Prison Sentence of 1 Year, 3 Months for 10 Academics

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Trial of academics, who have been charged with "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" for having signed the declaration entitled "We will not be a party to this crime" prepared by the Academics for Peace, continued in İstanbul Çağlayan Courthouse yesterday (January 9).

15 academics had their hearings at three separate courts:

At the İstanbul 36th Heavy Penal Court: Dr. Lecturer Selim Çakmaklı from Mersin University had his first hearing; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Esra Arsan, who resigned from İstanbul Bilgi University, had her second hearing.

At the İstanbul 35th Heavy Penal Court: Prof. Dr. Mine Eder from Boğaziçi University had her third hearing.

At the İstanbul 37th Heavy Penal Court: Dr. Utku Uraz Aydın and Dr. Lecturer Ceren Akçabay, who were discharged from Marmara University, and retired Prof. Dr. Nihal Saban; retired Prof. Dr. Haldun Gülalp and Research Assistant Dr. E.Ö., who was discharged from Yıldız Technical University; Assoc. Prof. Dr. İpek Yürekli from İstanbul Technical University; Dr. Bülent Eken from Kadir Has University; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hediye Esra Arcan, F.K.Ö., Research Assistant Egemen Kepekçi from İstanbul University; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Feryal Saygılıgil from Arel University and Prof. Dr. Hacer Ansal from Işık University had their third hearings.

Announcement of nine verdicts suspended

At the 37th Heavy Penal Court, academics Haldun Gülalp, Nihal Saban, Egemen Kepekçi, Utku Uraz Aydın, F.K.Ö, Ceren Akçabay, E.Ö., Hediye Esra Arcan and Bülent Eken have been sentenced to 1 year and 3 months in prison on charge of "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" as per the Article 7/2 of the Anti-Terror Law (TMK).

The announcement of all nine verdicts has been suspended.

Deferred prison sentence for one academic

At the 36th Heavy Penal Court, Esra Arsan has been sentenced to 1 year and 3 months in prison for "propagandizing for a terrorist organization."

In her previous hearing, Arsan stated that she did not request that the announcement of the verdict be suspended.

Considering that "the defendant does not have any criminal record and the court board has the conviction that the defendant will not commit another offence if her sentence is deferred", the court board has deferred the prison sentence of Arsan on the condition of a two-year probation.

It is the second verdict of deferment given by the same court so far.

About the Trials of Academics

On January 10, 2016, 1,128 academics published a declaration entitled "We will not be party to this crime" on behalf of the Academics for Peace initiative.

With the participation of further academics, the number of academics who have signed the declaration has reached 2,212.

With the indictment issued by the Prosecutor İsmet Bozkurt, lawsuits were filed against the academics on charge of "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" as per the Article No. 7/2 of the Anti-Terror Law No. 3713.

As of January 9, 2019, 445 academics had stood trial since December 5, 2017. 76 of these academics were sentenced to 1 year and 3 months in prison; 3 academics to 1 year and 6 months in prison; one academic to 2 years and 3 months in prison; one academic has been sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison.

The ones who did not request suspension of announcement of verdict

Until today, nine academics have not accepted that the announcement of their verdicts be suspended. While six of these academics have been sentenced to 1 year and 3 months in prison, three academics have been sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison and one academic has been sentenced to 2 years and 3 months in prison.

* Prof. Dr. Büşra Ersanlı - At the 32nd Heavy Penal Court - 1 year, 3 months in prison. While the sentence has been reduced, the announcement of the verdict has not been deferred.

* Prof. Dr. Zübeyde Füsun Üstünel - At the 32nd Heavy Penal Court - 1 year, 3 months in prison. The sentence has been reduced. The announcement of the verdict has not been deferred.

* Prof. Dr. Ayşe Erzan - At the 32nd Heavy Penal Court - 1 year, 3 months in prison. The sentence has been reduced, the announcement of the verdict has not been suspended.

* Prof. Dr. Nesrin Sungur Çakmak - At the 32nd Heavy Penal Court - 1 year, 3 months in prison. The sentence has been reduced, the pronouncement of the verdict has not been suspended.

* Prof. Dr. Özdemir Aktan - 1 year, 3 months in prison. While the sentence has been reduced, the pronouncement of the verdict has not been deferred.

* Lecturer Aslı Takanay - The verdict has not been pronounced.

* Assoc. Prof. Dr. Esra Arsan - The verdict has not been pronounced.

* Prof. Dr. Gülhan Türkay - 1 year, 3 months in prison. While the prison sentenced has been reduced, the pronouncement of the verdict has not been suspended.

* Dr. Lecturer Lütfiye Bozdağ - 1 year, 6 months in prison. Her prison sentence has not been reduced. The announcement of the verdict has not been deferred.

* Prof. Dr. Şebnem Korur Fincancı - 2 years, 6 months in prison. Korur Fincancı stated that she did not accept the suspension of the announcement of the verdict. Her sentence has not been suspended or reduced.

The ones whose statements were not taken

* Research Assistant Onur Baysal - At the 28th Heavy Penal Court - 1 year, 3 months in prison. The court deferred his sentence without demanding his statement about it.

* Dr. Yonca Güneş Yücel - At the 28th Heavy Penal Court - 1 year, 6 months in prison. It was claimed that the academic accepted the suspension of the announcement of the verdict though her statement was not taken. The verdict has been deferred on the condition of 2-year probation.

* Prof. Dr. Gençay Gürsoy - At the 37th Heavy Penal Court - His statement as to the suspension of the pronouncement of the verdict was never taken. He has been sentenced to 2 years and 3 months in prison.

On March 10, 2016, the Academics for Peace made a statement for press and shared with the public what they had been going through since the declaration "We will not be a party to this crime" was published. The academics Dr. Lecturer Esra Mungan, Dr. Lecturer Muzaffer Kaya, Assoc. Prof. Dr Kıvanç Ersoy (March 15, 2016) and Dr. Lecturer Meral Camcı (March 31, 2016), who read out the above-mentioned statement for press, were arrested on charge of "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" as per the Article No. 7/2 of the Turkish Anti-Terror Law. They were released on April 2016. Upon the request of the Prosecutor's Office, the Ministry of Justice granted a permission of trial as per the Article No. 301 of the Turkish Penal Code No. 301 on charges of "insulting the Turkish Nation, the State of the Republic of Turkey and the institutions and organs of the government."

(TP/SD)

trial of academics

Tansu Pişkin

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bianet muhabiri. İstanbul Üniversitesi Siyaset Bilimi ve Uluslararası İlişkiler Bölümü mezunu. Şubat-Mart 2017 dönemi bianet stajyeriydi. Mayıs 2017'den beri bianet'te.