Turkish Academic Warns of Government Clampdown

A political science professor convicted of insulting the founder of modern Turkey is saying academics are finding it increasingly difficult to criticise the government.

Sentenced for "insulting the legacy of Atatürk" 

Atilla Yayla, a professor at Ankara's Gazi University, was yesterday given a 15-month suspended prison sentence for insulting the legacy of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who founded secular Turkey and was its first president.

Yayla was charged after delivering a speech in 2006 in which he criticised the presidency of Atatürk, who ruled until his death in 1938, saying it was not as progressive as some Turks would believe.

Atatürk is a revered figure in Turkey and his portrait is still hung in all government offices.

Today, he told EducationGuardian.co.uk that the verdict would make it very hard for him to carry on in his profession.

"Maybe I will talk about birds and trees instead" 

"After this I should maybe talk about birds and trees, but not about political ideologies or freedoms in Turkey or human rights," he said.

Yayla, the head of the Association for Liberal Thinking, an organisation that promotes freedoms and liberal economic policies in Turkey, said he believed he would now be followed and his activities monitored for two years by order of the court.

"I'm not sure how they will do it," he said. "It's very sad that in Turkey we don't have academic freedom or freedom of expression."

He added: "If the verdict of the court is approved, I will be really under supervision. For teaching at university that means in classes I have to be very careful because students can spy and can record what I say and complain about me to the university. It will make my life miserable and much more difficult."

Sentence sets a worrying precedence for other academics 

Yayla left Turkey in October last year and is currently teaching at the University of Buckingham in Milton Keynes.

Although Gazi University initially fired Yayla over the court case, he has now been reinstated and plans to continue teaching there when he leaves the UK in the summer.

The professor, who maintains that he was not attacking Atatürk, but was questioning some of his ideologies, plans to appeal the court decision.
He said while the verdict would impose restrictions on him, the repercussions for fellow academics in Turkey could be worse.

"People will think twice about making comments.

"I'm protected in some way because I'm more well known and recognised in Turkey and have international friends who will put pressure on the government. For those not known it is really difficult to speak out."

Freedom of expression severely restricted 

Yalya said there are almost 40 laws and articles in Turkey that infringe on freedom of expression.

Several prominent Turkish journalists and writers - including Nobel literature prizewinner Orhan Pamuk - have been tried under laws that bar insulting "Turkishness" and state institutions.

Turkey is currently seeking membership of the European Union, but has run into criticism over its human rights record.

Although the country has made strides in improving freedoms, critics say many of its reforms are merely cosmetic and there is little difference on the ground. (LF/AG)

* The article was taken from the Guardian's issue of 29 January. Sub-headings were added by bianet.