La répression commence à frapper les universitaires et chercheurs turcs qui ont signé la pétition protestant contre les violences infligées par l’Etat turc à la population kurde: lancement de procédures judiciaires pour “insultes à la nation turque, à la république et aux institutions” et “propagande terroriste”, sanctions administratives, mises à pied. Et même menaces de mort de la part des milieux ultra-nationalistes et mafieux.
Je rappelle que plus de 1000 universitaires turcs ont signé la pétition, ainsi que plus de 300 intellectuels étrangers.
A l’initiative d’un groupe de turcologues nord-américains et européens, une nouvelle pétition est lancée pour protester contre cette vague de répression.
En voici le texte:
We the undersigned are professors of Turkish Studies in North American and European Universities. Several of us head centers and programs of Turkish Studies. We work hard to generate interest and nurture open and engaging debates on contemporary Turkey. We are seriously concerned about the diminishing academic freedoms and especially criminalization of a petition signed by 1128 fellow academics in Turkey calling for peace. We declare that we stand in solidarity with their demand for peace and their freedom of expression. We can further Turkish Studies around the world only when academics in Turkey can express themselves freely.
On January 10th 1128 academics from Turkey and 356 from abroad signed a petition calling the Turkish State to return to negotiations. The petition attracted attention to the dire situation in the Kurdish regions of Turkey where since 16 August 2015 there have been ben open ended curfews in 7 cities effecting close to 1,5 million citizens. Hundreds of civilians including the children, babies, and the elderly lost their lives. In their petition academics urged the Turkish government to end violence and return to negotiations.
Following the release of the petition, President Erdogan attacked those who signed it and accused them with treachery. He said “pick a side. You are either on the side of the Turkish government or you are on the side of the terrorists.” Few short hours after the speech, Turkish Higher Education Council announced that it will start investigations against signatories. Academics who signed the petition are investigated under article 301 of the Penal Code and face possible charges for “inflaming hatred and hostility among peoples” and “denigration of the Turkish nation.”
Turkey is a signatory of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. Based on these conventions and more importantly Turkish Constitution Turkey is required to protect freedom of thought, expression, association, and assembly. Yet, academic freedoms are regularly violated in Turkey. Since 2011 Middle East Studies Association sent 20 letters to Turkish government urging them to protect academic freedoms for different cases.
Criminalization of freedom of expression stifle productive debate on issues discussed in Turkey and around the world. Intellectual and academic production is not possible without academic freedom.
On peut signaler son soutien en envoyant un message à Esra Özyürek
(esraozyureklse@gmail.com)