It is with great shock and distress that we hear of Professor Ayse Gül Altinay’s sentencing to 25 months in prison for “willingly and knowingly supporting a terrorist organisation as a non-member”. CEWS stands in solidarity with Ayse Gül Altinay, Professor of Anthropology and Director of Sabancı University Gender and Women's Studies Center of Excellence (SU Gender) and editorial board member of the European Journal of Women’s Studies.
A growing number of scholars in Turkey face criminal charges and have been prosecuted solely as a result of the nonviolent expression of ideas; specifically having signed a petition in January 2016 (the so-called “Peace Petition”, organized by a group known as “Academics for Peace”).
More information on "Academics for Peace" can be found here:
Scholars at Risk
https://www.scholarsatrisk.org/actions/academics-for-peace-turkey/
Academics for Peace - Resources in English
Human Rights Foundation of Turkey
http://www.tihvakademi.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/AcademicsforPeace-ABriefHistory.pdf
Academic Freedom on Trial in Turkey
European University Association
https://eua.eu/issues/25:universities-values.html
Inside Higher Ed
https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2017/12/15/essay-support-turkish-group-academics-freedom
Bianet (news and court statements)
https://bianet.org/konu/academics-for-peace
Professor Fusun Ustel's Imprisonment
https://bianet.org/english/freedom-of-expression/208301-academic-for-peace-fusun-ustel-imprisoned