First Hearings of 3 Academics Held

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Hearings of academics, who have been standing trial on charge of “propagandizing for a terrorist organization” for having signed the declaration entitled “We will not be a party to this crime” prepared by Academics for Peace, continued in İstanbul 36th, 34th, and 14th Heavy Penal Courts.

Discharged from Yıldız Technical University (YTÜ) Dr. Lecturer Canay Şahin, Research Member Dr. Emin Alper and Dr. Lecturer Kerem Eksen from İstanbul Technical University (İTÜ) have had their second hearings at 36th Heavy Penal Court; Research Member Ozan Çağlayan from Galatasaray University (GSÜ) had his second hearing at 34th Heavy Penal Court.

First hearings of PhD student Burcu Kaya, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Z.Y. and Prof. Dr. Kuban Altınel from Boğaziçi University were held at 14th Heavy Penal Court.

Eksen and Alper gave their statements of defense in the hearings. Şahin said that his defense is not ready since he was not issued the indictment. It was decided that the lawyers be granted extension of time for them to give their opinion about expansion of the investigation and the hearings continue on October 2.

The hearings against signatory academics started on December 5, 2017. As of April 19, 191 academics had their first hearings. 12 of these academics were sentenced to 1 year and 3 months in prison and all of the sentences were suspended, except for that of Prof. Dr. Zübeyde Füsun Üstel from Galatasaray University.

What happened?

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.

On March 10, 2016, Asst. Prof. Dr. Esra Mungan, Asst. Prof. Dr. Muzaffer Kaya, Assoc. Prof. Dr Kıvanç Ersoy and Asst. Prof. Dr. Meral Camcı read out the press statement at a press conference that was was held on behalf of the Academics for Peace/Istanbul group regarding the developments which had occurred since the declaration was first shared with the public.

The first three of these academics were arrested on the charge of "terrorist propaganda" on March 15, 2016, and the last, Camcı, who was abroad at the time, was arrested on March 31 when she returned to Turkey. The four academics were released on April 22, 2016 upon their first hearing, in which the prosecutor of the trial changed the charges pressed against the academics to the crimes regulated under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (insulting Turkey, the Turkish nation, or Turkish government institutions) and applied for authorization from the Ministry of Justice to hold the trial under the new article.

Another bill of indictment was prepared in October 2017 regarding at least 148 academics who signed the declaration. The academics were charged with "terrorist organization propaganda" under Article 7/2 of the Turkish Anti-Terror Act (#3713) in the bill of indictment prepared by Prosecutor İsmet Bozkurt. The first hearings were held on December 5, 2017.

The hearings against signatory academics started on December 5, 2017. As of April 19, 191 academics had their first hearings. 12 of these academics were sentenced to 1 year and 3 months in prison and all of the sentences were suspended, except for that of Prof. Dr. Zübeyde Füsun Üstel from Galatasaray University. (TP/TK)