Arrested Academic Muzaffer Kaya Answers Our Questions in Prison

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Assist. Prof. Dr. Muzaffer Kaya among the arrested academics have answered our questions in Silivri prison via his lawyers.

He explained that he is pleased with the support people give, and reiterated his demand for peace.

“Roll-call at 8 a.m., lunch at around 12…”

Kaya is among the signees of the declaration entitled “We will not be a party to this crime” issued by Academics for Peace.

He was first expelled from Nişantaşı University for signing the declaration. Then he was arrested along with Assist. Prof. Dr. Esra Mungan, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kıvanç Ersoy.

They have been put in one-person room. Their books have been seized. He mentioned that he could get his books back on March 23, the day when he answered our questions. He conveyed his daily routine as follows:

“I stay alone in a three-person room at the moment. There is roll-call at 8 a.m. in the morning. I already wake up earlier than that. Since they give food for breakfast at night, it is possible to have breakfast whenever you wake up. We got our books yesterday. I spend most of the day reading. I finished Ahmet Ümit’s latest novel today.

“Lunch comes at around 12 and dinner at around 4:30 p.m. There are lawyer visits occasionally. It is possible to meet our needs at the cafeteria. We can shop once a week”.

“I wasn’t expecting this much”

We ask Kaya of his evaluations on the arrest decision for signing the declaration, he says he didn’t “expect it”.

“I wasn’t supposing that I would be arrested. In fact, it wasn’t unknown to us that jurisdiction has become a political tool but I wasn’t expecting this much to be honest. Pulling terror organization propaganda out of our declaration should be more difficult than pulling a rabbit out of the hat”.

“An extraordinary experience in terms of academic history”

Freedom watches are being held in front of the prisons where arrested academics are kept, and that their colleagues and students reiterate their call for their release. Kaya explains how this support reflects inside the prison as follows:

“Except for a few university administrations, they are already designated by the government. I don’t have any expectation form them. However, be it signee or not a large number of academic act in an extraordinary solidarity. We never feel ourselves alone. On the contrary, seeing a huge solidarity movement emerging pleases us. I believe, we are having an extraordinary experience in terms of academic history in Turkey”.

“Peace right now”

The three academics have been arrested on charge of “terror propaganda” because of the declaration they signed.

Kaya in his message to public reiterates his message:

“Democratic solution to Kurdish question. May conflict stop, peace right now”.

Who is Muzaffer Kaya?

Boğaziçi University graduate Muzaffer Kaya completed its PhD titled “The Emergence and Development of a Satellite Industrial Town at the Edge of the Istanbul Metropolitan Area: Çerkezköy” at the Atatürk Institue for Modern Turkish History in 2013.

He was an academic member at Nişantaşı University, Department of Social Services.

Nişantaşı University cancelled contract of six academics signing the declaration entitled “We will not be a party to this crime”. Kaya was one of them. (BK/TK)