Activists, Intellectuals Informing against Themselves to Support Academics

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A group of intellectuals and activists from various working groups have supported the declaration entitled “We will not be a party to this crime” issued by Academics for Peace Initiative.

They have informed against themselves denouncing the investigations launched into the academics.

"We are signing"

The group gathering in front of İstanbul Çağlayan Courthouse, in the press statement read by reporter Ceyda Karan, have reminded that 1,128 academics have been prosecuted over the following expressions and announced that they put their signature under those words.

“Republic of Turkey has been condemning its citizens in Sur, Silvan, Nusaybin, Cizre, Silopi and many other places under curfew for weeks to starvation and thirst.

“All rights and liberties such as right to live, right to freedom and security, prohibition of torture and ill-treatment which are put under protection by the constitution and international law that Turkey is a party to have been violated by attacking residents with heavy weapons that can be only used in war.

“We demand the curfews to be lifted, those who are responsible for the human rights violations to be determined and punished, the compensation of financial and moral damage of the citizens, and the international independent supervisors to be allowed to enter, observe and report in destruction zones on that purpose.

“We demand that the state ends this war right now. We as citizens of this country declare that we will not remain silent against this massacre and be a party to this crime, and pledge that we will ceaselessly continue our talks in the presence of political parties, the parliament and international public”.

Signatories

Here are the signatories making the announcement: Arat Dink, Ayşegül Devecioğlu, Bahadır Altan, Ceyda Karan, Erol Önderoğlu, Ferhat Tunç, Gürhan Ertür, Halim Bulutoğlu, Mehmet Bülent Deniz, Melek Özman, Necmi Demir, Necmiye Alpay, Nergiz Savran, Pınar Aydınlar, Şanar Yurdatapan, Zeynep Tanbay.

The signees following the press statement have informed against themselves going to the Çağlayan Courthouse. (YY/TK)