Academics for Peace call for solidarity


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Following the Ankara massacre, on 10 Jan 2016, over 1000 academics from Turkey and abroad, the “Academics for Peace”, signed a petition “We will not be a party to this crime”, demanding that the Turkish government stop its massacre and forced displacement of Kurdish and other peoples in the Kurdish provinces, and resume negotiation. The President of Turkey, on Jan 12, announced that signatories in Turkey will be investigated for charges of treason and support for terrorism, and some have already been dismissed or detained.

The organizers, “Academics for Peace,” are calling for your support to sign the same petition, which has already been given by international scholars such as Tariq Ali, David Graeber, Cynthia Enloe, Alessandra Mezzadri, Slavoj Zizek, Noam Chomsky, Judith Butler, Immanuel Wallerstein, Franco Berardi, Etienne Balibar, and David Harvey.

Please roll down for the text of the petition.

Since the signature campaign’s website (http://barisicinakademisyenler.net/index.html) has come under attack, the call is available here:
https://www.change.org/p/urgent-call-for-action-following-the-ankara-massacre/u/14957238?recruiter=13403853&utm_source=share_update&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=facebook_link,

or
http://bianet.org/english/human-rights/170978-academics-we-will-not-be-a-party-to-this-crime

Please note that although the call is now hosted on change.org, the email address to send your support is: [email protected]

Please write subject “signature support”, and in the email text, put down your name, position, and affiliation. Academics, postgraduates and researchers (including independent researchers) are invited to sign the petition and give your support. When the website is restored, you will be able to see the names of the signatories.

Text of the petition:

As academics and researchers of this country, we will not be a party to this crime!

“The Turkish state has effectively condemned its citizens in Sur, Silvan, Nusaybin, Cizre, Silopi, and many other towns and neighborhoods in the Kurdish provinces to hunger through its use of curfews that have been ongoing for weeks. It has attacked these settlements with heavy weapons and equipment that would only be mobilized in wartime. As a result, the right to life, liberty, and security, and in particular the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment protected by the constitution and international conventions have been violated.

This deliberate and planned massacre is in serious violation of Turkey’s own laws and international treaties to which Turkey is a party. These actions are in serious violation of international law.

We demand the state to abandon its deliberate massacre and deportation of Kurdish and other peoples in the region. We also demand the state to lift the curfew, punish those who are responsible for human rights violations, and compensate those citizens who have experienced material and psychological damage. For this purpose we demand that independent national and international observers to be given access to the region and that they be allowed to monitor and report on the incidents.

We demand the government to prepare the conditions for negotiations and create a road map that would lead to a lasting peace which includes the demands of the Kurdish political movement. We demand inclusion of independent observers from broad sections of society in these negotiations. We also declare our willingness to volunteer as observers. We oppose suppression of any kind of the opposition.

We, as academics and researchers working on and/or in Turkey, declare that we will not be a party to this massacre by remaining silent and demand an immediate end to the violence perpetrated by the state. We will continue advocacy with political parties, the parliament, and international public opinion until our demands are met”.

Links to more information:

Turkish prosecutors to investigate academics over Erdoğan petition
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/14/turkish-prosecutors-investigate-academics-criticised-erdogan-petition
Chomsky hits back at Erdoğan, accusing him of double standards on terrorism

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jan/14/chomsky-hits-back-erdogan-double-standards-terrorism-bomb-istanbul

Noam Chomsky Slams Turkish President Erdogan for Arresting Academics, Supporting Extremism
http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/34643-focus-noam-chomsky-slams-turkish-president-erdogan-for-arresting-academics-supporting-extremism