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Trial of 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, continued in İstanbul Çağlayan Courthouse yesterday (December 20).
Seven academics had their hearings at five separate courts:
At the İstanbul 29th Heavy Penal Court: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Altınel from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (MSGSÜ) had his second hearing.
At the İstanbul 32nd Heavy Penal Court: Research Assistant Gülay Kılıçaslan from Yıldız Technical University (YTÜ) had her third hearing; Research Assistant Ömer Çelebi had his second hearing.
At the İstanbul 26th Heavy Penal Court: Dr. Lecturer Bayram Güneş had his first hearing.
At the İstanbul 25th Heavy Penal Court: Dr. Lecturer Alper Akyüz and Dr. M.A. from İstanbul Bilgi University had their second hearings.
At the İstanbul 27th Heavy Penal Court: Dr. Lecturer Murat Koyuncu from Boğaziçi University had his third hearing.
At the İstanbul 28th Heavy Penal Court: Dr. Baran Alp Uncu from Marmara University had his second hearing.
1 academic sentenced to prison
Academic Baran Alp Uncu has been sentenced to 1 year and 3 months in prison on charge of "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" as per the Article no. 7/2 of the Anti-Terror Law.
The pronouncement of the verdict has been suspended.
Additional statements of defense requested
While presenting his statement of defense, academic Alper Akyüz was interrupted by Presiding Judge of the İstanbul 25th Heavy Penal Court for three times. Concluding his defense, Akyüz was also threatened by the judge with "cutting short his defense."
The court board also requested additional statements of defense from two academics "in regard to the possibility of implementing the Article 314/2 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), the Article 5/1 of the Anti-Terror Law (TMK) and the Article 220/7 of the TCK" relating to the offense of "aiding a terrorist organization."
Academic interrupted by judge for three times
At the 25th Heavy Penal Court, Presiding Judge interrupted the defense of academic Alper Akyüz for three times to ask him questions.
While Akyüz was reading out the judiciary-related part of his defense, judge asked Akyüz, "Whom are you saying these? Do you know us? Don't you come here for the first time?"
Continuing his defense, Akyüz was interrupted for the second time by the judge, who said, "Conclude your defense; or else; I will cut it short. You cannot teach us a lesson on judgeship."
To Akyüz, who stated that he was about to read the last paragraph of his defense, the judge said, "You cannot read it if it is about us." After Akyüz stated, "You cannot intervene in my defense", the judge answered: "Have we given a judgement about you? What prejudice are you talking about?"
The judge continued interrupting Akyüz's defense by saying, "Do your students come to you and tell you how who should teach your lessons?"
Judge didn't write his question in minutes "verbatim"
After the defense, Presiding Judge asked Akyüz where he saw the declaration, by whom it was sent, how it was signed, whether he heard the statement of a person named Bese Hozat and whether he knew the existing state and conditions in Turkey when he signed the declaration.
Presiding Judge: Have you heard that PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) declared autonomy?
Akyüz: I knew it supported autonomy, I don't remember that it declared it.
Presiding Judge: You are an academic, you know and have done research on everything. Don't you remember it? What else can a state do in the face of a terrorist organization that declared autonomy in some part of the country? What do you think?
(The last statement of the judge was written in minutes as follows: "What do you think about the ways a state has to follow in the face of a terrorist organization that declared autonomy in some part of the country?")
Upon the objection of the attorneys, the judge called security personnel to the courtroom and raised his voice by saying, "No one should stand up unless I give a word. I am talking to him (the defendant)."
Presiding Judge: Do you feel remorse?
Lastly, Presiding Judge asked Akyüz, "Do you feel remorse?", to which Akyüz answered, "I don't want to answer this question."
His attorney Serdar Laçin requested that Alper Akyüz be immediately acquitted, a permission of investigation as per the Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code be granted by the Ministry of Justice and the cases be combined. The court board rejected all requests raised by the attorney.
Granting additional time to prepare their additional statements of defense, the court board ruled that the next hearing shall be held on January 10.
About the Trials of AcademicsOn 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. With the participation of further academics, the number of academics who have signed the declaration has reached 2,212. With the indictment issued by the Prosecutor İsmet Bozkurt, lawsuits were filed against the academics on charge of "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" as per the Article No. 7/2 of the Anti-Terror Law No. 3713. As of December 20, 2018, 430 academics had stood trial since December 5, 2017. 60 of these academics were sentenced to 1 year and 3 months in prison; 3 academics to 1 year and 6 months in prison; one academic to 2 years and 3 months in prison; one academic has been sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison. The ones who did not request suspension of announcement of verdict Until today, nine academics have not accepted that the announcement of their verdicts be suspended. While six of these academics have been sentenced to 1 year and 3 months in prison, three academics have been sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison and one academic has been sentenced to 2 years and 3 months in prison. * Prof. Dr. Büşra Ersanlı - At the 32nd Heavy Penal Court - 1 year, 3 months in prison. While the sentence has been reduced, the announcement of the verdict has not been deferred. * Prof. Dr. Zübeyde Füsun Üstünel - At the 32nd Heavy Penal Court - 1 year, 3 months in prison. The sentence has been reduced. The announcement of the verdict has not been deferred. * Prof. Dr. Ayşe Erzan - At the 32nd Heavy Penal Court - 1 year, 3 months in prison. The sentence has been reduced, the announcement of the verdict has not been suspended. * Prof. Dr. Nesrin Sungur Çakmak - At the 32nd Heavy Penal Court - 1 year, 3 months in prison. The sentence has been reduced, the pronouncement of the verdict has not been suspended. * Prof. Dr. Özdemir Aktan - 1 year, 3 months in prison. While the sentence has been reduced, the pronouncement of the verdict has not been deferred. * Lecturer Aslı Takanay - The verdict has not been pronounced. * Assoc. Prof. Dr. Esra Arsan - The verdict has not been pronounced. * Prof. Dr. Gülhan Türkay - 1 year, 3 months in prison. While the prison sentenced has been reduced, the pronouncement of the verdict has not been suspended. * Dr. Lecturer Lütfiye Bozdağ - 1 year, 6 months in prison. Her prison sentence has not been reduced. The announcement of the verdict has not been deferred. * Prof. Dr. Şebnem Korur Fincancı - 2 years, 6 months in prison. Korur Fincancı stated that she did not accept the suspension of the announcement of the verdict. Her sentence has not been suspended or reduced. The ones whose statements were not taken * Research Assistant Onur Baysal - At the 28th Heavy Penal Court - 1 year, 3 months in prison. The court deferred his sentence without demanding his statement about it. * Dr. Yonca Güneş Yücel - At the 28th Heavy Penal Court - 1 year, 6 months in prison. It was claimed that the academic accepted the suspension of the announcement of the verdict though her statement was not taken. The verdict has been deferred on the condition of 2-year probation. * Prof. Dr. Gençay Gürsoy - At the 37th Heavy Penal Court - His statement as to the suspension of the pronouncement of the verdict was never taken. He has been sentenced to 2 years and 3 months in prison. On March 10, 2016, the Academics for Peace made a statement for press and shared with the public what they had been going through since the declaration "We will not be a party to this crime" was published. The academics Dr. Lecturer Esra Mungan, Dr. Lecturer Muzaffer Kaya, Assoc. Prof. Dr Kıvanç Ersoy (March 15, 2016) and Dr. Lecturer Meral Camcı (March 31, 2016), who read out the above-mentioned statement for press, were arrested on charge of "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" as per the Article No. 7/2 of the Turkish Anti-Terror Law. They were released on April 2016. Upon the request of the Prosecutor's Office, the Ministry of Justice granted a permission of trial as per the Article No. 301 of the Turkish Penal Code No. 301 on charges of "insulting the Turkish Nation, the State of the Republic of Turkey and the institutions and organs of the government." |
(TP/SD)