The article below was originally published by Today’s Zaman, on January 14th, 2016.
The pressure on academics who signed a declaration for peace by putting a stop to ongoing military operations in the Kurdish-majority southeast has intensified with the launch of an investigation against all of them by İstanbul prosecutors as well as additional investigations into several of them by prosecutors and the Higher Education Board (YÖK).
Investigation for Insulting ‘Turkishness’
The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation into all of the academics on Thursday after a number of public prosecutors already launched investigations into several of them across the country on suspicion of their supporting and spreading terrorist propaganda. Several universities have launched their own administrative enquiries into dozens of their academic staff.
The academics are also accused of violating infamous Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), which criminalizes insulting “Turkishness.”
Amid the pressure, the number of signatories has reached 2,000.
Arrest Warrants Issued
The Düzce Public Prosecutor’s office issued a warrant for the arrest of an academic whose initials are reported to be L.A. and works at Düzce University on Thursday on suspicion of spreading terrorist propaganda, prosecutor Kamil Erkut Güre said.
Hacettepe University, Bartın University, Samsun 19 Mayıs University, Abdullah Gül University and YÖK have started investigations that could result in dismissals. The number of the academics who faces investigation have reached nine in total in these universities.
Clampdown on Academics
As a part of an increased clampdown on academics who raise their voice for peace, the Küçükçekmece Public Prosecutor’s Office in İstanbul announced on Thursday that it launched a criminal investigation into several academics who work at universities under the authorization of the prosecutor’s office, on suspicion of provoking the people towards hatred and enmity, disseminating terrorist propaganda in favor of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), humiliating the Turkish Republic, state and its institutions as well as Turkishness.
Professor Latife Akyüz from Düzce University’s sociology department was suspended on Thursday after the rector’s office opened an administrative investigation into her. In its statement to the public, the university said the academic has been part of a campaign that favored acts of terrorism that targeted the indivisible integrity of the state, adding, “Those who support such campaigns will never be tolerated,” in a statement similar to those of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu.
The Düzce Prosecutor’s Office also launched a probe into Akyüz on suspicion of disseminating terrorist propaganda.
Abant İzzet Baysal University Rector Professor Hayri Coşkun announced on Thursday that an administrative investigation was launched against three academics who put their signatures to the declaration from the university.
Prime Minister Dismisses Declaration for Peace
Speaking on Thursday, Prime Minister Davutoğlu claimed that the petition signed by 1,128 academics cannot be tolerated as freedom of speech, adding: “This is an irrational declaration. When they read it again, they will regret it. It cannot be considered in the context of freedom of thought.”
The declaration criticized security operations and called for an end to the curfews and fresh peace efforts.
Davutoğlu went on to say: “It is saddening that our academics have signed such a declaration when we are talking about a fight against terror, ISIL [Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant] on one side and a separatist group that killed a baby on the other,” Reuters reported.
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