Letters on Turkey
November 21, 2011
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Office of the Prime Minister
Başbakanlık
06573 Ankara, Turkey
Via facsimile +90 312 417 0476
Dear Prime Minister Erdoğan:
I write to you on behalf of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) of North America and its Committee on Academic Freedom in order to express our dismay and concern over the October 28th arrest of Professor Büşra Ersanlı, professor of Political Science and International Relations at Marmara University, who was later charged under the Anti-Terror Law on grounds that her membership in the BDP (Barış ve Demokrasi Partisi-Peace and Democracy Party) allegedly links her to the PKK (Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan- Kurdistan Workers’ Party).
MESA was founded in 1966 to promote scholarship and teaching on the Middle East and North Africa. The preeminent organization in the field, the Association publishes the International Journal of Middle East Studies and has nearly 3000 members worldwide, including more than a hundred who are scholars, teachers or students at institutions of higher education in Canada. MESA is committed to ensuring academic freedom and freedom of expression, both within the region and in connection with the study of the region in North America and elsewhere.
Professor Ersanlı is the author of over 50 scholarly works on Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Russian Federation, Eurasia, and Turkey. She is also a BDP member and was in the process of assisting the party in preparing draft proposals for the new civilian constitution. Professor Ersanlı was arrested only a day before she was to attend an academic conference at Bilgi University on “Controversial Issues in the History of the Turkish Republic.” Her arrest not only is an infringement of her ability to exercise academic freedom in providing expert advice on constitutional reform; it also prevents her from participating in professional exchanges with other scholars.
Professor Ersanlı has not been accused of using of violence, nor has she ever endorsed its use, either publically or in her scholarship. She appears to have been targeted for having exercised her right to freedom of expression and association, which is protected by Turkey’s consent to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
We wrote to you in September about the case of Professor Beşikçi, whose right to academic freedom was similarly violated by your government. Government efforts to silence scholars who voice support for the rights of Kurdish citizens in Turkey send a chilling message to Turkey’s scholarly community which, as you are aware, has rallied to Professor Ersanlı’s defense. We are very concerned with what seems to be a clear and ongoing campaign to arrest those who seek a peaceful political solution to the Kurdish problem.
We respectfully ask you to intervene in Professor Ersanlı’s case to see that she is released and that all charges are dropped. We also urge you to take note of mounting international condemnation of the erosion of democratic rights and freedoms in Turkey.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to your positive response.
Sincerely,
Suad Joseph
MESA President
Professor of Anthropology and Women and Gender Studies
University of California, Davis
October 03, 2011
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Office of the Prime Minister
Başbakanlık
06573 Ankara, Turkey
Via facsimile +90 312 417 0476
Dear Prime Minister Erdoğan:
I write to you on behalf of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) of North America and its Committee on Academic Freedom in order to express our dismay and concern over the sentencing of İsmail Beşikçi, in March 2011, to fifteen months in prison for “making propaganda for a terrorist organization” in an article entitled “The Right of Self-determination and the Kurds” published in Law and Society in Our Age.
MESA was founded in 1966 to promote scholarship and teaching on the Middle East and North Africa. The preeminent organization in the field, the Association publishes the International Journal of Middle East Studies and has nearly 3000 members worldwide. MESA is committed to ensuring academic freedom and freedom of expression, both within the region and in connection with the study of the region in North America and elsewhere.
Professor Beşikçi, as you know, is a highly regarded scholar of Kurdish history and society. While he has written more than thirty scholarly books over the years on what you yourself have termed “the Kurdish problem,” he continues to be persecuted in his country for his scholarship. Your government has repeatedly insisted that there needs to be a lasting solution to the Kurdish problem; however, the sincerity of these assertions is called into question when those with a deep understanding of Kurdish society and advocates of nonviolent approaches like Professor Beşikçi are silenced.
Professor Beşikçi has become the symbol of a long history of academic repression and harsh censorship in Turkey. Unfortunately, the problem of intellectual freedom and free speech in Turkey has had a poor record under your stewardship. In 2010, the World Press Freedom Index placed Turkey in 148th place in a list of 175 countries, whereas Turkey was in 99th position when the AKP came to power in 2002. Despite some minor amendments in 2008, the restrictive 2005 penal code continues to overshadow the positive reforms implemented as part of the country’s bid for European Union membership. Moreover, constitutional guarantees of freedom of the press and expression are undermined by other provisions, and in practice they are only partially upheld.
İsmail Beşikçi's prosecution for exercising his right to freedom of expression conflicts with Turkey's obligations to recognize the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; the right to freedom of expression; and the right to freedom of assembly and freedom of association as delineated by the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Turkey is bound by international law to guarantee these rights and to respect the basic principles of human rights enumerated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We ask that you instruct the Prosecutor General to drop all charges against İsmail Beşikçi and revoke his sentence.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to your positive response.
Sincerely,
Suad Joseph
MESA President
Professor of Anthropology and Women’s Studies
University of California Davis
cc:
Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Cumhurbaskani, Abdullah Gül (Turkish president)
Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi Baskani Cemil Çiçek (President of the Turkish National Assembly)
Turkish Justice Minister, Adalet Bakani Sadullah Ergin
29 April 2009
Prime Minister Recep Tayyıp Erdoğan
Office of the Prime Minister
Başbakanlık
06573 Ankara, Turkey
Via facsimile +90 312 417 0476
Dear Prime Minister Erdoğan:
I write to you on behalf of the Committee on Academic Freedom of the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) to express our concern regarding a pattern of arrests and detention of university faculty and rectors in connection with the Ergenekon investigation.
The Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) was founded in 1966 to promote scholarship and teaching on the Middle East and North Africa. The preeminent organization in the field, the Association publishes the International Journal of Middle East Studies and has more than 3000 members worldwide. MESA is committed to ensuring academic freedom and freedom of expression, both within the region and in connection with the study of the region in North America and elsewhere.
We previously sent you letters in 2005 and 2007 regarding the application of Article 301 to deny the right of individuals to freely express nonviolent opinions. In that correspondence we made reference to specific scholars (Orhan Pamuk, Elif Safak, Hrant Dink, Atilla Yayla) as well as to the cancellation of an academic conference to address issues surrounding the Armenian genocide of 1915. With respect to the Ergenekon affair, we are similarly concerned that an atmosphere of intimidation has been generated that is having a chilling effect on academic and intellectual freedom in the Turkish university system.
We are troubled that the most recent wave of detentions and interrogations targeted members of the scholarly community who have been outspoken in their pro-secular views, in particular Professor Mehmet Haberal, rector of Başkent University, Professor Osman Metin Öztürk, rector of Giresun University, former chairman of YOK Professor Kemal Gürüz, former rectors Professor Fatih Hilmioğlu (İnönü University), Professor Ferit Bernay (Samsun University) and Professor Mustafa Yurtkuran (Uludağ University), as well as Professor Erol Manisalı (former lecturer at Istanbul University), Professor Ayşe Yüksel (Yüzüncü Yıl University), and Professor Türkan Saylan (chairwoman of the ÇYDD). In addition to these senior scholars, junior scholars at 19 Mayıs University, Harran University and Dicle University have also been singled out for questioning. All of this gives the appearance of a disturbing pattern of harassment.
As we have communicated to you before, freedom of speech and free expression of ideas are essential to the mission and purpose of higher education. Our association will continue to monitor these disturbing developments, and we hope that your government will uphold the integrity of Turkish universities by ensuring that the right to academic freedom is protected and that scholars are not harassed for opinions they express. We look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Amy W. Newhall
Executive Director
May 27, 2008
Prime Minister Recep Tayyıp Erdoğan
Office of the Prime Minister
Başbakanlık
06573 Ankara
Turkey
Via facsimile +90 312 417 0476
Dear Prime Minister Erdoğan:
I write to you on behalf of the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) and its Committee on Academic Freedom (CAF)in order to express our alarm and grave concern over the forced resignation of Professor Donald Quataert from Chairmanship of the board of governors of the Institute of Turkish Studies (ITS), a not-for-profit educational foundation which overseas the distribution of the proceeds from a $3 million endowment by the Turkish government to support Turkish studies in the United States. Dr. Quataert, an eminent scholar in the field of Ottoman and Turkish studies, is professor of history at Binghamton University, State University of New York and served as Chairman of the ITS board of governors from 2001 until December 13, 2006.
MESA was founded in 1966 to promote scholarship and teaching on the Middle East and North Africa. The preeminent organization in the field, the Association publishes the International Journal of Middle East Studies and has more than 2800 members worldwide. MESA is committed to ensuring academic freedom and freedom of expression, both within the region and in connection with the study of the region in North America and elsewhere.
The matter of the Turkish government’s interference in the academic freedom of one of our most respected academic colleagues was publicly raised at the annual business meeting of the Turkish Studies Association (TSA) held in Montréal in November 2007 in conjunction with MESA’s annual conference. TSA was founded in 1971 to promote high standards of scholarship and instruction in Turkish and Ottoman studies. The Association publishes the scholarly Turkish Studies Association Journal, and has more than 500 members internationally. In addition to the Turkish Studies Association Journal, the Association’s activities include sponsorship of Turkish language prizes, awards for scholarly books and articles, graduate papers, and research scholarships. TSA members at the November business meeting were scandalized by the news of Professor Quataert’s mistreatment at the hands of the Institute of Turkish Studies and asked the TSA board to initiate action. The TSA Board referred the case to CAF and expressed backing for its response.
Dr. Quataert’s relinquishment of his position came after he refused to accede to the request of ITS’s honorary chairman, Ambassador Nebi Şensoy, that he issue a retraction of a scholarly book review he wrote about the killings of Armenians (1915-1918) in the Ottoman Empire. In that article, Professor Quataert urged academicians in Ottoman and Turkish studies to eschew polemical biases and undertake research based on the use of Ottoman-language source materials and produce scholarship according to the highest professional standards. It is indisputable that most of the scholarship to date fails to adhere to these standards and as such serves neither the field of Ottoman-Turkish studies nor the interests of the Republic of Turkey and its citizens.
We are enormously concerned that unnamed high officials in Ankara felt it was inappropriate for Professor Quataert to continue as chairman of the board of governors and threatened to revoke the funding for the ITS if he did not publicly retract statements made in his review or separate himself from the Chairmanship of the ITS. The ITS mission statement declares that it is “an independent, tax exempt organization and does not seek to influence legislation nor advocate particular policies or agendas.” The reputation and integrity of the ITS as a non-political institution funding scholarly projects that meet stringent academic criteria is blackened when there is government interference in and blatant disregard for the principle of academic freedom. A clear message is sent to those who would apply for ITS funds or participate in ITS activities that the board does not stand behind the principle of academic freedom, and that politics can vitiate professional standards. It would be a travesty for an association that seeks to provide a more positive image of Turkey and promote the development of Turkish studies in the United States to be viewed in such a counterproductive and negative light. Furthermore the attitude towards Dr. Quataert, sharply contrasts with your government’s recent call to leave the debate regarding the events of 1915 to the independent study and judgment of scholars.
We ask that your government take all necessary steps to press for Professor Quataert’s reinstatement as chairman of the board of governors of ITS, and that the funds for the ITS endowment be placed in an irrevocable trust immune from political interference and infringement of academic freedom.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to your positive response.
Sincerely,
Mervat Hatem
MESA President
cc:
Amb. Nabi Şensoy, ITS Honorary Chairman and Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Governors, Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to the US
Amb. W. Robert Pearson, ret., Chairman
David C. Cuthell, ITS Executive Director
Walter Denny, ITS Secretary-Treasurer, Professor of Art History, University of Massachusetts
ITS MEMBERS OF THE BOARD
Halil Inalcik, Professor of History, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey and Professor Emeritus of History, The University of Chicago
Heath W. Lowry, Ataturk Professor of Ottoman and Modern Turkish Studies, Princeton University
Justin McCarthy, Professor of History, University of Louisville
Mike M. Mustafoğlu, Trans Global Financial Corporation
Dr. Kenan Şahin, TIAX LL Corporation
Jenny B. White, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Boston University
Birol Yeşilada, Professor of Political Science, Portland State University
ITS ASSOCIATE MEMBERS
Sarah G. Moment Atis, Professor of Turkish Language and Literature; Chair, Middle East Studies Program, University of Wisconsin at Madison
Carter V. Findley, Professor of History, Ohio State University
Fatma Müge Göçek, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Michigan
Avigdor Levy, Professor of History, Brandeis University
Gülru Necipoğlu-Kafadar, Aga Khan Professor of Islamic Art, Harvard University
Sylvia Önder, Visiting Assistant Professor of Turkish, Georgetown University
Esra Özyurek, Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of California, San Diego
Leslie Peirce, Professor of History, New York University
Kemal Silay, Professor of Central Eurasian Studies; Ottoman and Modern Turkish Studies Chair Professor; Director, Turkish Studies Program, Indiana University
President John J. DeGioia, Georgetown University
Andras J. Riedlmayer, TSA President; Bibliographer in Islamic Art and Architecture, Aga Khan Program in Islamic Architecture at Harvard University
Donald Quataert, Professor, Binghamton University, SUNY
Reply from Nabi Şensoy
Embassy of Turkey
Washington, DC
June 30, 2008
Professor Mervat Hatem
President
Middle East Studies Association
Tucson, Arizona
Dear Professor Hatem,
With your letter addressed to H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, dated May 27, 2008, you insinuate that I, as the Honorary Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Institute of Turkish Studies (ITS), may have improperly influenced Professor Donald Quataert to resign from the board’s Chair on December 13, 2006. I regret to observe that you apparently felt no need to consult or contact me before writing this letter, which would have permitted me to correct some of your grave misperceptions. The quantity of half truths contained in your letter also suggests that the ITS Board of Governors had not been contacted either.
I provide the following corrections so that you can fully appreciate whether allusions to any influence I may have exerted over Prof. Quataert to urge his resignation from the ITS board’s Chair and from the board itself are substantiated or not.
The ITS was founded in 1983.Accodring to its By-Laws, the primary objective of the Institute is to increase knowledge of Turkey, its people, culture and history among the people of the United States by supporting educational research, scholarship and publications in the field of Turkish studies. The efforts and works of the ITS have positively contributed to the development of relations between Turkey and the United States primarily in the academic field.
The ITS’s affairs are managed by its Board of Governors. The Board of Governors is composed of Turkish and American academics and businessmen known for their expertise in their fields. The Board of Governors meets periodically and acts by a simple majority. All decisions, including electing of the chairman are taken by the Board accordingly. As befits a purely academic institution, the ITS and its Board of Governors seek to operate transparently and objectively. It would be a clear violation of academic freedom for the Turkish Government to seek to influence members of the board to act in a certain way, and equally for members of the Board to bow to such pressure.
As the Honorary Chairman of the ITS Board, my one and only right is to attend the meetings of the Board of Governors and to offer, if need be, my views on matters related to its governance. I lack the prerogative to vote and have no authority to appoint or remove any board member or approve or reject any grant requests.
Contrary to recent assertions, I did not call Prof. Quataert to condemn him for a book review he had written in which he opined on the events of 1915. Rather, following the publication of that book review I called Prof. Quataert to enquire into the reason for his change of opinion on that historical dispute, as Mr. Quataert had previously not considered that the events of 1915 constituted genocide. Prof. Quataert replied that the book review was being misunderstood and that his opinion had not changed. I then suggested to Prof. Quataert that if he was being misunderstood, that he should naturally correct this misunderstanding in writing. I expressly added that whatever decision Prof. Quataert would make, both on correcting the misunderstanding and on his interpretation of history, I would respect it. Professor Quataert did not act on my suggestion.
I add that, contrary to what has been claimed, during my conversation with Prof. Quataert, absolutely no mention either of the ITS’ funding or of the subject of Prof. Quataert’s continued service on the ITS board was made.
With a letter dated December 13, 2006, the then Chairman of the Board of Directors, Prof. Donald Quataert informed the members of the Board of Governors, including me as Honorary Chairman, of his decision to resign from the ITS Chairmanship.
With the attached copy of the letter addressed to Prof. Quataert, dated January 13, 2007, I expressed my regret regarding his decision, underlined his important contributions to the ITS and mentioned my sincere wish to maintain our close friendship in the future.
Following Prof. Quataert’s resignation, Mr Kenan Sahin, a prominent Turkish –American academic and businessman, and then Ambassador Robert Pearson, a former US Ambassador to Turkey, were elected to Chair the ITS by the Board of Governors. Any future Chairman will be independently by the Board as well.
It I obvious that claims contained in your letter insinuating that my actions had forced Professor Quataert to resign from the Chair of the ITS are not only unfounded and misleading, but they also run contrary to the facts. Neither the Turkish government nor I have ever placed any pressure upon the ITS, for such interference would violate the principle of academic freedom, which we earnestly uphold. The Turkish Government and I will be the first to defend ITS from any such pressure. Our past practice stands in testimony to this fact.
I hope this helps you gain a better understanding of the matter.
Finally, as you have published Prof. Quataert’s letter on your website, fairness would demand that my letter also be given an equal public forum.
Sincerely,
Nabi Şensoy
Copy of letter from Nabi Sensoy to Pr. Donald Quataert
January 18, 2007
Professor Donald Quataert
Department of History
Binghamton University
State University of New York
Dear Professor,
Thank you for your letter of December 13, 2006.
I am sorry to learn about your decision to resign as Chairman of the Board of Governors and as Member of the Board of Governors of the Institute of Turkish Studies.
It is indeed very hard on us to lose a distinguished member of the TIS who has been a major intellectual force in support of a better understanding of Turkey.
I believe that the Institute, under your chairmanship has played an important role and maintained its position as a distinguished institution.
Your friendship over the years has been a great asset. It will be an honor to maintain this close friendship.
I look forward to welcoming you here at the Turkish Embassy on future occasions.
With my best wishes, I remain.
Yours sincerely,
Nabi Şensoy
February 13, 2007
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Office of the Prime Minister
Basbakanlik
06573 Ankara, Turkey
Via facsimile +90 312 417 0476
Dear Prime Minister Erdogan:
I write to you on behalf of the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) and its Committee on Academic Freedom in order to express our dismay and grave concern over the detention and deportation from Turkey of Finnish independent scholar and freelance journalist Dr. Kristiina Koivunen. Dr. Koivunen was stopped at Van Ferit Melen Airport on December 15, 2006, and was held in an officially unacknowledged detention for 46 hours. On December 17 she was put on a flight from Istanbul Ataturk Airport under police surveillance and expelled from Turkey.
The Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) was founded in 1966 to promote scholarship and teaching on the Middle East and North Africa. The preeminent organization in the field, the Association publishes the International Journal of Middle East Studies and has more than 2700 members worldwide. MESA is committed to ensuring academic freedom and freedom of expression, both within the region and in connection with the study of the region in North America and elsewhere.
Dr. Kristiina Koivunen is a specialist on the Kurdish question in Turkey. The title of her Ph.D. dissertation is The Invisible War in North Kurdistan (University of Helsinki, Faculty of Social Sciences, September 2002). She is also the author of two travelogues (Teetä Kurdistanissa, 2001; Sankarimatkailijan Kaakkois-Turkki, 2006) on eastern Turkey. As a journalist she had published over 200 articles on Turkish affairs and, most recently, she interviewed Turkish Minister of Defense Vecdi Gönül on November 3, 2006. The interview was published by a Finnish newspaper.
Since 1997, she has visited Turkey sixteen times for research purposes. On her last trip, she entered the country on November 29, 2006 and traveled across Turkey without encountering any difficulties. After her detention at the Van airport she was taken first to the anti-terrorism bureau (Terörle Mücadele Subesi) in Van, and was later moved to the foreigner’s bureau (Yabancilar Subesi). The following day she was flown to Istanbul and held at police headquarters in Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport. Despite Dr. Koivunen’s and her lawyer’s repeated requests, she was not issued any official documents articulating reasons for, or recognizing the fact of, her detention and her deportation. Dr. Koivunen was informed only verbally by a police chief that her entrance to the country was barred pursuant to a decision by the Ministry of Interior in August 2006. That decision was allegedly made months before her most recent arrival, and she was not provided with any notice of that decision until the time of her detention and removal from the country. In fact, on November 29, she was granted entry without incident. We have been informed that after repeated official appeals for justification, the Finnish Embassy in Ankara was faxed a copy of the Turkish Passport Law with the eighth article circled. We understand (through the fifth paragraph of the article) that she was expelled from the country because the Ministry had ‘foreseen’ that her presence in the country would pose a threat to public order.
Our committee is deeply concerned about the unacceptable treatment of Dr. Koivunen. (1) We regard the Turkish Ministry of Interior’s alleged decision as a clear violation of the right to research. Dr Koivunen had never violated Turkish laws during her numerous previous visits to the country, yet, your Ministry’s prohibition now makes it impossible for Dr. Koivunen to conduct research in Turkey. (2) Notwithstanding the decision of the Turkish Ministry of Interior, Dr. Koivunen was granted permission to enter the country on November 29, which meant her stay in the country would be under legal protection. Yet, her legal right to stay in the country was revoked arbitrarily; no reasons were officially provided for her detention, for the revocation of her visa, nor for her ultimate deportation. Further she was not granted any opportunity to legally challenge the official determination.
We are deeply saddened to observe a radical deterioration of the conditions for carrying out critical intellectual work in Turkey over the past six months. The right of individuals to freely express nonviolent opinions has been progressively undermined in the country, fomenting a climate of intimidation and fear. Critical intellectuals expressing opinions or doing research in Turkey have recently been intimidated either through the application of restrictive (and vaguely formulated) legal statutes (such as Article 301 of Turkish Penal code), through the violent attacks of ultranationalist militants or, as we see in the case of Dr. Koivunen, through official but arbitrary and illegal undertakings. This situation gravely damages the image of Turkey as a committed member of the democratic international community. We hope that you share our concerns and that you will promptly implement measures to preclude any further violations of basic and universally recognized essential liberties, including freedom of expression.
In the case at hand, we urge you to take relevant steps to restore Dr. Kristiina Koivunen’s right to conduct research in Turkey. We also ask that you initiate an investigation into the arbitrary and unjustifiable treatment to which she was subjected.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to your positive response.
Sincerely,
Zachary Lockman
MESA President
February 7, 2007
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Office of the Prime Minister
Basbakanlik
06573 Ankara, Turkey
Via facsimile +90 312 417 0476
Dear Prime Minister Erdogan:
I write to you on behalf of the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) and its Committee on Academic Freedom in order to express our dismay and grave concern over the expulsion of Prof. Dr. Atilla Yayla from his faculty position at Gazi University. Dr. Yayla was summarily dismissed after he spoke on a panel in Izmir organized by the youth branch of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), which you lead. Professor Yayla also faces possible prosecution under Law 5816 and/or Article 301 of the Penal Code.
The Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) was founded in 1966 to promote scholarship and teaching on the Middle East and North Africa. The preeminent organization in the field, the Association publishes the International Journal of Middle East Studies and has more than 2700 members worldwide. MESA is committed to ensuring academic freedom and freedom of expression, both within the region and in connection with the study of the region in North America and elsewhere.
Because of our mandate, we have previously sent you letters of concern on January 25, 2007 (regarding Dr. Taner Akçam), July 20, 2006 (regarding Elif Safak), November 30, 2005 (regarding Fatih Tas), November 20, 2005 (regarding Orhan Pamuk), June 23, 2005 (regarding Yektan Türkyilmaz), and May 27, 2005 (regarding the cancellation of an academic conference to address issues surrounding the Armenian Genocide of 1915).
In the case of Dr. Yayla, according to the Turkish media, instead of defending academic freedom as is the responsibility of any university, President of Gazi University Rektörü Prof. Dr. Kadri Yamaç denounced Dr. Yayla’s exercise of freedom of expression. Subsequently, the Izmir Public Prosecutor’s office launched an investigation into his “heretical thoughts,” raising the possibility that he, like Pamuk, Safak and others, will be tried for “insulting Turkishness.” The right of individuals to freely express nonviolent opinions has been progressively undermined in Turkey, fomenting a climate of intimidation and fear.
The tolerance for the suppression of critical thought debases the important achievements your government has made in democratic reform. Professor Yayla has done nothing more than to reinterpret the legacy of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and to argue that the single-party period under his leadership (1925-1945) fell short of meeting the criteria of a liberal democracy. It is in fact the role of a scholar to foster the pursuit of knowledge, promote the constant development of ideas, and rigorously interrogate beliefs and assumptions. As Dr. Yayla correctly notes, an academic should be “free to think, to search and share findings.”
The Middle East Studies Association is deeply concerned with the deteriorating situation of academic freedom in Turkey. We urge your government to give the highest priority to eliminating Article 301 without delay. This clause has tarnished Turkey’s international image and impedes its ability to meet the standards of free speech as required by the European Union’s accession criteria.
We ask that you instruct the Prosecutor General to drop any criminal charges that may be filed against Professor Yayla and take all necessary steps to press for his reinstatement.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to your positive response.
Sincerely,
Zachary Lockman
MESA President
January 25, 2007
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Office of the Prime Minister
Basbakanlik
06573 Ankara, Turkey
Via facsimile +90 312 425-1375
Dear Prime Minister Erdogan:
I write to you on behalf of the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) and its Committee on Academic Freedom. We wish to express our grave concern over the criminal investigation of Dr. Taner Akçam, a visiting professor of History at the University of Minnesota, for stating that the 1915-1917 deportations and massacres of Armenians constituted a genocide. Charges are pending under Turkish Penal Code Articles 301.1 (“insulting Turkishness”), 214 (“instigation to commit a crime”), 215 (“praise of a crime and criminal”), and 216 (“instigating public animosity and hatred”). The investigation threatens the freedom of expression and academic freedom of Dr. Akçam and contributes to the atmosphere of intellectual and physical intimidation of academics and intellectuals who deal with controversial issues.
The Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) was founded in 1966 to promote scholarship and teaching on the Middle East and North Africa. The preeminent organization in the field, the Association publishes the International Journal of Middle East Studies and has more than 2700 members worldwide. MESA is committed to ensuring academic freedom and freedom of expression, both within the region and in connection with the study of the region in North America and elsewhere.
The criminal investigation of Dr. Akçam was prompted by an article he published on October 6, 2006 in Agos, the Armenian Turkish weekly, in which he defended Armenian Turkish journalist Hrant Dink, who was to be prosecuted under Article 301 for using the term “genocide”. He asserted that he, rather than Mr. Dink, has consistently used the term “genocide” to describe the Armenian deportations and massacres of 1915-17. Dr. Akçam urged his compatriots, whether they agreed with the use of the term or not, to protect the right of others who do so and to de-criminalize the studying and writing of history. Hrant Dink’s murder on January 19, 2007 underscores the seriousness of the criminal investigation of Dr. Taner Akçam, who has been a regular contributor to the weekly Mr. Dink edited. He, and other academics and public intellectuals researching and writing about the Armenian/Turkish issue, operate in an atmosphere of increased intimidation in which they face threats to their security as well as to their academic and civil rights.
The criminal investigation of Dr. Akçam on the basis of Articles 301.1, 214, 215 and 216 of the Turkish Penal Code is a direct violation of his civil and human rights. As a member state of the Council of Europe and a signatory of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and a state party to the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Turkey is required to protect the freedom of expression.
The Middle East Studies Association is concerned over the noticeable deterioration of the situation of academic freedom in Turkey. During the past eighteen months we have written four letters to your government asking that charges brought against academics under Article 301 be dropped. We urge the Government of Turkey to initiate steps necessary to remove Article 301 from the country’s Penal Code. Article 301 criminalizes any “insult to Turkishness,” the Turkish Parliament, the Turkish government, or the military and security forces. It is difficult to imagine how the government could prosecute a person under this law without violating Turkey’s obligations, under Article 10 of the European Human Rights Convention and Article 19 of the ICCPR, to guarantee and protect the freedom of expression. Freedom of expression lies at the core of academic freedom. Furthermore, the repeated prosecutions under Article 301 sharply contrast with your government’s recent call to leave the debate around the controversial events of 1915 to the independent study and judgment of scholars.
We encourage you to immediately stop the criminal investigation against Dr. Taner Akçam and to desist from such investigations in the future which use the provisions of Article 301 of the Penal Code as a way of punishing academics, publishers, public intellectuals and other Turkish citizens who express ideas and views of Turkish history at variance with those of the authorities.
Thank you very much for your attention to this matter, and we look forward to your positive response.
Sincerely,
Zachary Lockman
MESA President
July 20, 2006
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Office of the Prime Minister
Basbakanlik
06573 Ankara, Turkey
Via facsimile +90 312 417 0476
Dear Prime Minister Erdogan:
I write to you on behalf of the Middle East Studies Association of North America, and its Committee on Academic Freedom, in order to express our grave concern over the prosecution of Elif Shafak for allegedly “insulting Turkishness” with respect to comments made by Armenian characters in her novel The Bastard of Istanbul–Baba ve Piç (Metis 2006). Dr. Shafak, a respected scholar and well-known novelist, currently teaches at the University of Arizona and is a member of this association. She faces charges brought under Article 301 of the Penal Code. If she is found guilty, she faces up to 3 years in prison.
The Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) is comprised of 2600 academics worldwide who teach and conduct research on the Middle East and North Africa, and is the preeminent professional association in the field. The association publishes the International Journal of Middle East Studies and is committed to ensuring respect for the principles of academic freedom and freedom of expression in the region and in connection with the study of the Middle East and North Africa in North America and elsewhere.
We are saddened to observe that many public intellectuals, journalists, publishers, and academics, such as Orhan Pamuk, Ragip Zarakolu, Hrant Dink, and Baskin Oran, have recently been brought to trial on charges that they violated Article 301 of the Penal Code. This article criminalizes any alleged “insult” to “Turkishness,” the Turkish parliament, the Turkish government, or the military and security forces. These broad prohibitions directly violate the internationally guaranteed right to freedom of expression, and thus cast doubt on the sincerity of Turkey’s commitment to improve her human rights record. Furthermore, the repeated prosecutions under Article 301 sharply contrast with your government’s recent call to leave the debate around the controversial events of 1915 to the independent study and judgment of scholars.
As a member state of the Council of Europe and a signatory to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and as a state party to the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Turkey is required to protect freedom of expression. We therefore strongly urge you to instruct the Prosecutor General to drop the charges against Dr.Shafak without delay, in the interest of justice and Turkey’s reputation.
We further urge the government to initiate the steps necessary to remove Article 301 from the country’s Penal Code. It is difficult to imagine how the government could prosecute a person under this law without violating Turkey’s obligations under Article 10 of the European Human Rights Convention and Article 19 of the ICCPR to guarantee and protect freedom of expression. The right to freedom of expression lies at the core of academic freedom. At the very least, we encourage you to instruct the Prosecutor General to desist from bringing any charges in the future under the provisions of Article 301 as a way of punishing and silencing individuals whose ideas may diverge from those of the authorities or influential segments of society.
Thank you very much for your attention to this matter, and we look forward to your positive response.
Sincerely,
Juan R.I. Cole
MESA President
November 30, 2005
Mr. Recep Tayyip Erodgan
Prime Minister
Basbakanlik
06573 Ankara, Turkey
Fax: +90-312-417-0476
Dear Prime Minister Erdogan,
I write to you on behalf of the Middle East Studies Association of North America, and its Committee on Academic Freedom, in order to express our grave concern over the prosecution of Fatih Tas, owner of Aram publishing house, for his publication of the Turkish translation of Professor John Tirman’s, Spoils of War: The Human Cost of America’s Arms Trade (Free Press, 1997). Mr. Tas was called before the court of First Instance of Istanbul on November 17, 2005 on charges of violating paragraphs 1 and 2 of Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code. He is accused of humiliating Turkishness, the Turkish Republic, Turkish Soldiers, and the Government. If indicted, Mr. Tas will face up to 5 years in prison.
The Middle East Studies Association of North American (MESA) was founded in 1966 to promote scholarship and teaching on the Middle East and North Africa. The preeminent organization in the field, the Association publishes the International Journal of Middle East Studies and has more than 2600 members worldwide. MESA is committed to ensuring academic freedom and freedom of expression, both within the region and in connection with the study of the region in North America and elsewhere.
Trying Mr. Tas on these charges is a direct violation of his civil and human rights. As a member state of the Council of Europe and a signatory to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and as a state party to the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Turkey is required to protect freedom of expression.
We urge the government of Turkey to initiate the steps necessary to remove article 301 from the country’s Penal Code. Article 301 criminalizes any “insult” to “Turkishness”, the Turkish Parliament, the Turkish government, or the military and security forces. It is difficult to imagine how the government could prosecute a person under this law without violating Turkey’s obligations, under Article 10 of the European Human Rights Convention and Article 19 of the ICCPR, to guarantee and protect freedom of expression. Freedom of expression lies at the core of academic freedom. At the very least we encourage you to instruct the Prosecutor General to drop immediately the charges against Mr. Tas and desist from bringing such charges in the future under the provisions of Article 301 of the Penal Code as a way of punishing and intimidating academics, publishers, public intellectuals and other Turkish citizens who express ideas a views of Turkish history and politics at variance with those of the authorities.
Thank you very much for your attention to this matter, and we look forward to your positive response.
Sincerely,
Juan R.I. Cole
MESA President
September 21, 2005
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Office of the Prime Minister
Basbakanlik
06573 Ankara, Turkey
Via facsimile +90 312 417 0476
Dear Prime Minister Erdogan:
I write to you on behalf of the Middle East Studies Association of North America, and its Committee on Academic Freedom, in order to express our grave concern over the prosecution of Orhan Pamuk for allegedly “denigrating national identity” during an interview published in the Swiss magazine, Das Bild (February 6, 2005). Mr. Pamuk, a world-renowned novelist who has been a visiting scholar at a number of North American universities and a member of this association, is scheduled to appear in court on December 16, 2005 and will be tried under Article 301/3 of the Turkish Penal Law. If he is found guilty, he may face up to 8 years in prison.
The Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) is comprised of 2600 academics worldwide who teach and conduct research on the Middle East and North Africa, and is the preeminent professional association in the field. The association publishes the International Journal of Middle East Studies, and is committed to ensuring respect for the principles of academic freedom and freedom of expression in the region and in connection with the study of the Middle East and North Africa in North America and elsewhere.
Trying Mr. Pamuk on these charges is in direct violation of his civil and human rights. As a member state of the Council of Europe and a signatory to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and as a state party to the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Turkey is required to protect freedom of expression.
Because these rights are also enshrined in the Turkish Constitution of 1982, a judge will have every reason to throw out the case on the first hearing. We urge strongly your government avoid this embarrassment and act now to dismiss the charges against Mr. Pamuk, in the interest of justice and Turkey’s reputation.
We further urge the government of Turkey to initiate the steps necessary to remove Article 301 from the country’s Penal Code. Article 301 criminalizes any “insult” to “Turkishness,” the Turkish parliament, the Turkish government, or the military and security forces. It is difficult to imagine how the government could prosecute a person under this law without violating Turkey’s obligations, under Article 10 of the European Human Rights Convention and Article 19 of the ICCPR, to guarantee and to protect freedom of expression. Freedom of expression lies at the core of academic freedom. At the very least, we encourage you to instruct the Prosecutor General to drop immediately the charges against Mr. Pamuk and desist from bringing any such charges in the future under the provisions of Article 301 of the Penal Code as a way of punishing and intimidating academics, public intellectuals, and other Turkish citizens who express ideas or views of Turkish history at variance with those of the authorities.
Thank you very much for your attention to this matter, and we look forward to your positive response.
Sincerely,
Ali Banuazizi
MESA President
May 27, 2005
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Office of the Prime Minister
Basbakanlik
06573 Ankara, Turkey
Via facsimile +90 312 417 0476
Dear Prime Minister Erdogan:
I write to you on behalf of the Middle East Studies Association of North America, and its Committee on Academic Freedom, in order to express our grave concern over actions taken by members of your government which precipitated the decision of the rector of Bosphorus University to cancel an academic conference entitled, “Ottoman Armenians in the Period of the Empire’s Collapse.” These actions violate the academic freedom and human rights of Turkish scholars, a number of whom are members of our association.
The Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) comprises 2600 academics worldwide who teach and conduct research on the Middle East and North Africa. It is the preeminent professional association in the field and publishes the International Journal of Middle East Studies. MESA is committed to ensuring respect for the principles of academic freedom and freedom of expression in the region and in connection with the study of the Middle East and North Africa. The organization also counts among its membership many of the world’s leading experts on the history of the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkey.
The conference was to have been held May 25-27, 2005 at Bosphorus University in Istanbul. Organized by members of the history, sociology and comparative literature faculties of both Bosphorus and Sabanci universities, the conference sought to address in a scholarly, open and critical manner issues surrounding the Armenian Genocide of 1915. Aided by an international advisory committee of academics from Turkey and abroad, the conference’s organizers adhered in their preparations to all Turkish laws regarding public assemblies and academic gatherings.
However, according to published press reports, following intense criticism by Turkish government officials and parliamentarians–including Minister of Justice, Cemil Çiçek, who accused those organizing the conference of being guilty of “treason and insult”–the university officials cancelled the meetings just hours before they were to begin. Citing “prejudicial statements [which] have been advanced [by government officials] regarding the contents of a conference that is yet to be held,” the university officials noted that these statements give “cause for concern that [they] will result in undermining the academic freedom of state universities.”
As a member state of the Council of Europe and a signatory of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, Turkey is required to protect freedom of thought, expression and assembly. These rights are also enshrined in the Turkish Constitution of 1982.
Therefore we urge your government to take all necessary steps to ensure that this conference may be held as planned and as soon as possible. Just as important, and particularly given Justice Minister Çiçek’s use of the word “treason,” a charge that conjures up memories of some of worst forms of persecution of scholars and intellectuals through history, we ask that you assure conference participants and organizers that they will face no official criminal charges or other sanctions following the presentation of their research in this gathering. We ask that you ensure there will be no attempts to censor their work prior to its presentation and further, that all measures required will be taken to secure the personal safety of conference participants and allow open and free academic exchange. Finally, we encourage you to preclude the implementation of any of the provisions of Article 305 of the new Turkish Penal Code, which could be used to arrest academics who express unpopular ideas or revisionist views of the past.
I would appreciate the honor of discussing the work of the Middle East Studies Association with you during your visit to Washington, DC in June if your schedule permits.
Sincerely,
Ali Banuazizi
President, Middle East Studies Association
Professor, Boston College
cc:
H.E. Dr. Osman Faruk Logoglu,
Turkish Ambassador to the United States