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28 Academics Sentenced to a Total of 59 Years, 2 Months, 5 Days in Prison

17-Mar-2019 15:20

22 February 2019:

Tansu Pişkin - Hikmet Adal

13 academics have been sentenced to 1 year, 10 months, 5 days in prison, 14 have been sentenced to 2 years and 3 months. The announcement of the verdict was not deferred for those who were sentenced to more than 2 years.
The trial of academics, who have been charged with "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" for having signed the declaration entitled "We will not be a party to this crime" prepared by the Academics for Peace, continued at the İstanbul Courthouse yesterday (February 21).

The 33rd Heavy Penal Court has given its judgment on 27 academics, whose cases were previously combined. The following academics have been sentenced to 2 years and 3 months in prison for "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" because they did not "show remorse":

Dr. Lecturer İlkay Yılmaz, Prof. Dr. Hülya Kirmanoğlu from İstanbul University, Research Associate Eda Aslı Şeran, Dr. Lecturer İsmet Akçafrom Yıldız Technical University, Dr. Lecturer Ahmet Bekmen, Dr. Lecturer Özgür Müftüoğlu, Dr. Lecturer Nihan Aksakallı, retired Assoc. Prof. Haydar Durak, Dr. Lecturer Aysuda Kölemen from Kemerburgaz University, Lecturer İlkay Özkuralpli from Arel University, Esra Kaliber, Prof. Dr. Zeynep Tül Süalp from Bahçeşehir University, Dr. Lecturer Öznur Yaşar Diner, Lecturer Remzi Orkun Güner.

Deferred prison sentence for 15 academics

The court has sentenced the following academics to 1 year, 10 months and 5 days in prison for "propagandizing for a terrorist organization":

Seçkin Sertdemir Özdemir, Dr. Lecturer F.A.A., Research Associate Gözde Aytemur Nüfusçu, Assoc. Prof. Y.Y. from Koç University, Lecturer Elif Akçalı from Kadir Has University, Dr. Lecturer T.D., Prof. Dr. Yüksel Taşkın, Prof. Dr. Meltem Ahıska from Boğaziçi University, Dr. Ayşe NilüferDurakbaşa, postgraduate student Cihan Yapıştıran, postgraduate student İrfan Keşoğlu, Dr. Lecturer Doğan Çetinkaya, Dr. Lecturer N.M. from Nişantaşı University.

The announcement of the verdict has been deferred for those who were sentenced to less than 2 years in prison. Those who were sentenced to more than 2 years will appeal against the ruling.

"Deferring the announcement limits the right to defense"

Dr. Lecturer Müftüoğlu did not accept the announcement of the verdict to be deferred. He said, "I legally demanded the right to peace, which is a universal right. Frankly, I still don't think that we will be sentenced. Because there is not a crime. I think deferring the announcement of a verdict limits the right to defense and I don't accept that.

Last words of academics: 'Peace'

Following the attorneys' defense statements, the academics were asked for their last words:

Nihan Aksakallı: I want to see peace, my last word is peace.

Elif Akçalı: I want to see peace.

Haydar Durak: Demand for peace cannot be a crime. I want to live in conditions of peace.

Hülya Kirmanoğlu: I want to live in peace. I believe justice will be served sooner or later.

Yüksel Taşkın: I will continue to struggle for justice within the mechanism of justice.

Cihan Yapıştıran: My last word is peace.

Ahmet Bekmen: Many friends of ours lost their job in this period. They didn't kneel down, I am proud of all of them.

İsmet Akça: I wanted peace, I am wanting peace, I will want peace. And this is not a crime.

İlkay Özkuralpli: Demand for peace is not a crime, we are not criminals.

Orkun Güner: Demand for peace is not a crime. I repeat my demand for peace.

Meltem Ahıska: I want peace and justice.

Ayşe Nilüfer Durakbaşa: Demanding peace is not a crime.

Özgür Müftüoğlu: Defending the right to peace is not a crime. We did not commit a crime. We want justice.

Öznur Yaşar Diner: I want peace and justice for everyone and want to live this.

15-month prison term for one academic

Hearings of six academics from Boğaziçi University were held at the 36th Heavy Penal Court and one hearing was held at the 27th Heavy Penal Court.

The 36th Heavy Penal Court has sentenced Prof. Dr. Pınar Yolum to 1 year and 3 months in prison. Dr. Lecturer Günizi Kartal and Lecturer İpek Seyalıoğlu raised their defenses. Lecturer Aslı Takanay and Assoc. Prof. Ayfer Suna demanded recusation.

The 27th Heavy Penal Court has adjourned the hearing of Research Associate from the Middle East Technical University (METU), rejecting the academic's foreign plea demand.

About the Trials of Academics

On January 10, 2016, 1,128 academics published a declaration entitled "We will not be party to this crime" on behalf of the Academics for Peace initiative.

With the participation of further academics, the number of academics who have signed the declaration has reached 2,212.

With the indictment issued by the Prosecutor İsmet Bozkurt, lawsuits were filed against the academics on the charge of "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" as per the Article No. 7/2 of the Anti-Terror Law No. 3713.

As of February 21, 2019, 480 academics had stood trial since December 5, 2017, all the 129 academics whose cases were concluded have been sentenced to prison. 94 of these academics were sentenced to 1 year and 3 months in prison; 13 academics were sentenced to 1 year, 10 months and 15 days in prison; 4 academics to 1 year and 6 months in prison; 15 academics to 2 years and 3 months in prison; 2 academics have been sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison; 1 academic has been sentenced to 2 years and 1 month in prison; and one academic to 3 years in prison.

The suspension of the pronouncement of the verdict

Until today, 12 academics have not accepted that the announcement of their verdicts be deferred. While seven of these academics have been sentenced to 1 year and 3 months in prison, one academic has been sentenced to 1 year and 6 months, one academic to 2 years and 3 months, one academic to 2 years and 6 months and one academic to 3 years in prison. The verdict of one academic has not been pronounced by the court yet.

The court board of the 36th Heavy Penal Court has reduced the prison sentences of academics who did not demand the suspension of the pronouncement of their verdicts and deferred their sentences on a 2-year probation. The 32nd Heavy Penal Court has made reductions in the sentences; however, it has not deferred them. The 37th Heavy Penal Court has neither reduced nor deferred the pronouncement of the verdicts.

Three academics were not asked about whether they requested the suspension of the pronouncement of their verdicts. While one of these three academics has been sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison, one of them has been sentenced to 1 year and 3 months and the other academic to 2 years and 3 months in prison.

The prison sentences of academics, the announcement of whose verdicts has not been suspended since their sentence is over two years, will be taken to the court of appeal. The court of appeal will either uphold or reverse the verdict.

On March 10, 2016, the Academics for Peace made a statement for press and shared with the public what they had been going through since the declaration "We will not be a party to this crime" was published. The academics Dr. Lecturer Esra Mungan, Dr. Lecturer Muzaffer Kaya, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kıvanç Ersoy (March 15, 2016) and Dr. Lecturer Meral Camcı (March 31, 2016), who read out the statement for the press, were arrested on the charge of "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" as per the Article No. 7/2 of the Turkish Anti-Terror Law. They were released on April 2016. Upon the request of the Prosecutor's Office, the Ministry of Justice granted permission of trial as per the Article No. 301 of the Turkish Penal Code No. 301 on charges of "insulting the Turkish Nation, the State of the Republic of Turkey and the institutions and organs of the government."

You can reach all the news on Trials of Academics here.

Source: https://bianet.org/english/freedom-of-expression/205746-
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The new Turkey 28 Academics Sentenced to a Total of 59 Years, 2 Months, 5 Days in Prison