Dear Colleagues,

I urge you to express solidarity with sister and fellow academics/trade unionists in Turkey by reading the statement below and following the guidance. For those attending the UCU annual conference please support the motion backing solidarity action, and consider ways to follow this up at branch level, and through your local Trades Council.

Dear Academics,

We   understand   that some of you are among  the   people   who   signed   a   petition   calling   for   an  end to  state violence against civilians and for a return to peace negotiations with Kurdish Political Party HDP.

We also would like to inform you that the Turkish Higher Education Council and state  prosecutors have begun investigations of the signatories to this petition, who are accused of supporting terrorism and are facing possible charges of  treason.

Furthermore, on 15 March 2016 three academics were incarcerated for signing the original call of Academics for Peace and announcing that they will start an ‘Academic Vigil’. The arrested academics are:  Esra Mungan of Boğaziçi University, Kıvanç Ersoy of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, and Muzaffer Kaya, formerly of Nişantaşı University. The court also requested the arrest of Meral Camcı, formerly of Yeni Yuzyıl University; Camcı was not arrested as she is currently outside Turkey.

Under given conditions, the group titled "Academics for Peace" have decided to launch a new international campaign by sending solidarity cards direcly to the addresses of three imprisoned academics and a condemnation letter which is attached herewith to the President and Prime Minister of Turkey.

Prison addresses of three academics are given below for solidairty cards:

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kıvanç Ersoy: Silivri Cezaevi 9 Numaralı Yüksek Güvenlikli Kapalı Cezaevi C-1 Blok 6 Silivri-İSTANBUL

Assist. Prof. Dr. Muzaffer Kaya: Silivri Cezaevi 9 Numaralı Yüksek Güvenlikli Kapalı Cezaevi C-1 Blok 4 Silivri-İSTANBUL

Assist. Prof. Dr. Esra Mungan Gürsoy: Bakırköy Kadın Kapalı Ceza İnfaz Kurumu Bakırköy-İSTANBUL

International Committee of Academics for Peace (Turkey)

Ian Manborde
Programme Co-ordinator
MA – Global Labour & Social Change (GLSC)

Please note that between 24/04-30/06 I will be on sabbatical leave and not responding to email. 

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