Academics Benlisoy, Gülsüm Acar Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison, Sentences Suspended

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Two more 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, have been sentenced to 1 year 3 months in prison. Their sentences have been suspended.

Dr. Stefo Benlisoy from İstanbul Technical University and Dr. Lecturer Yasemin Gülsüm Acar from Özyeğin University had their second hearings today (April 12) at 32nd Heavy Penal Court in İstanbul Çağlayan Courthouse. The 1 year 3 months prison sentences given to the academics Benlisoy and Gülsüm Acar have been suspended.

Hazal Halavut, a research assistant from Boğaziçi University also had her first hearing at the 32nd Heavy Penal Court and the academic Y.A. had her first hearing at the 37th Heavy Penal Court. Their hearings have been adjourned.

The hearings against signatory academics started on December 5, 2017. As of April 12, 190 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.

As of April 12, 190 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. (BK/SD)