One More Academic Given Deferred Prison Sentence of 1 Year, 3 Months

Hearings held today

17 academics had their hearings at three different courts:

At the İstanbul 26th Heavy Penal Court: Dr. John William Day from Bilkent University and Dr. Lecturer Besim Can Zırh from Middle East Technical University (METU) had their first hearings.

At the İstanbul 25th Heavy Penal Court: Research Assistant Ekin Barış Şah from Çankaya University had his first hearing.

At the İstanbul 30th Heavy Penal Court: Prof. Dr. Mahinur Akkaya, Lecturer Bakış Kutlu Kurtuluş, Prof. Dr. Onur Yıldırım, Research Assistant Kıvılcım İlbaşı, Prof. Dr. Çağlar Güven from METU; Research Assistant Bahar Şimşek, Assoc. Prof. Benan Eres from Ankara University; Dr. Lecturer Özlem Savaş from Bilkent University, Dr. Lecturer Hande Kaynak from Çankaya University had their first hearings; Dr. Lecturer Hakan Altun from Mersin University, Dr. Lecturer Mustafa Oğuz Sinemillioğlu had their second hearings; retired Prof. Dr. Öget Öktem Tanör, Lecturer T.K. from the MSGSÜ and Prof. Dr. Serdar Değirmencioğlu, who was dismissed from Doğuş University, had their third hearings.

About the Trials of Academics

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.

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 April 3, 2019, 579 academics had stood trial since December 5, 2017, all the 171 academics whose cases were concluded have been sentenced to prison. 123 of these academics were sentenced to 1 year and 3 months in prison; 6 academics to 1 year and 6 months in prison; 15 academics to 1 year, 10 months and 15 days in prison; 16 academics to 2 years and 3 months in prison; five academics have been sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison; three academics have been sentenced to 2 years and 1 month in prison; and one academic to 3 years in prison.

The suspension of the pronouncement of the verdict

Until today, 12 academics have not accepted that the announcement of their verdicts be deferred. While seven of these academics have been sentenced to 1 year and 3 months in prison, one academic has been sentenced to 1 year and 6 months, one academic to 2 years and 3 months, one academic to 2 years and 6 months and one academic to 3 years in prison. The verdict of one academic has not been pronounced by the court yet.

The court board of the 36th Heavy Penal Court has reduced the prison sentences of academics who did not demand the suspension of the pronouncement of their verdicts and deferred their sentences on a 2-year probation. The 32nd Heavy Penal Court has made reductions in the sentences; however, it has not deferred them. The 37th Heavy Penal Court has neither reduced nor deferred the pronouncement of the verdicts.

Three academics were not asked about whether they requested the suspension of the pronouncement of their verdicts. While one of these three academics has been sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison, one of them has been sentenced to 1 year and 3 months and the other academic to 2 year and 3 months in prison.

The prison sentences of academics, the announcement of whose verdicts has not been suspended since their sentence is over two years, will be taken to the court of appeal. The court of appeal will either uphold or reverse the verdict.

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 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."

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