TRIAL OF ACADEMICS
Deferred Prison Sentence of 1 Year, 3 Months for 2 Academics
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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 (January 17).
The hearings of seven academics were held in three courts:
At the 36th İstanbul Heavy Penal Court: Fourth hearing of film director and Lecturer Emin Alper and Dr. Lecturer Kerem Eksen from the İstanbul Technical University was held.
At the 24th İstanbul Heavy Penal Court: Second hearing of researcher M.E.Y. from the Bilgi University was held.
At the 25th İstanbul Heavy Penal Court: Second hearing of Lecturer Özlem Köseoğlu, third hearing of Research Associate Süreyya Topaloğlu, fourth hearing of Dr. Lecturer Alper Akyüz from the Bilgi University and second hearing of Prof. Dr. S.I. from the Sabancı University were held.
Prison sentence for two academics
The court board ruled that Emin Alper and Kerem Eksen shall be sentenced to 1 year and 3 months in prison on charge of "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" as per the Article 7/2 of the Anti-Terror Law (TMK).
The pronouncement of all verdicts has been deferred.
Cases combined
In the only hearing that was held at the 24th Heavy Penal Court, the court board ruled that the case should be combined with the other cases of academics heard at the court.
The Prosecutor's Office announced its opinion as to the accusations in the previous hearings, demanding that the defendant shall be sentenced for "aiding a terrorist organization as a non-member".
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 January 17, 2019, 450 academics had stood trial since December 5, 2017. 82 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; one academic has been sentenced to 2 years and 1 month 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/VK)