ACADEMICS FOR PEACE

The state of emergency declared after the coup attempt on July 15 resulted in a purge in universities that has never been seen before in Turkey's recent history. The emergency decrees have been used for dismissing both experienced academics who carried out many researches in universities and young academics whose careers had just begun. However, despite everything that happened, some academics hold on to their profession, which they define as “reason for being”. In this regard, Kocaeli Solidarity Academy is a precursor and guiding initiative. Having completed its first term of “alternative education”, it has also the purpose of establishing an open and free school of life for people with a new two-tear program.

Academics who gathered in Cebeci Campus of Ankara University for protesting the decrees are not allowed in the university. Police forces attacked and the doors of the campus are closed.

Last night, a new state of emergency decree was issued and 4,464 public servants have been sacked.

Prof. Dr. Nilgün Toker Kılınç, who signed the “Academics for Peace” declaration and is dismissed with the recent emergency decree, thinks that dismissal is an “act of vengeance” rather than punishment.

With the decree issued on September 2, many academics are dismissed. “Academics for peace” were one of the targets of this recent decree. Academics from Kocaeli University tell about what they have been going through.

British academic Chris Stephenson was detained yesterday, while he was waiting in front of the courthouse for acting with solidarity with 3 academics who were taken into custody yesterday. He may be deported within 48 hours.

Sent to the court for arrest by the prosecutor yesterday, Esra Mungan, Kıvanç Ersoy and Muzaffer Kaya are arrested last night.

Arın Gül Yeniaras, a member of the lawyers’ group that is formed for providing legal support for “Academics for Peace”, said: “Some of the universities started investigations on their own. Almost all academics are subjected to psychological violence; their doors are marked or they are threatened directly.”

Signing the declaration titled as “We won't be accomplices to this crime”, 21 academics from Kocaeli University and 3 academics from Abant İzzet Baysal University are detained.

At ambassadors' conference, President Erdoğan targeted “peace declaration” signed by 1128 academics and said: “Pseudo-intellectuals, you are full of darkness.”We asked what these statements mean to Şebnem Korur Fincancı, Ayşe Gül Altınay, Gençay Gürsoy, Erhan Keleşoğlu and Ohannes Kılıçdağı who are among the signatories of the declaration.