GIT INITIATIVE

International Work Group

“Academic Liberty and Freedom of Research in Turkey”

www.gitinitiative.com

  www.gitfrance.fr

Contacts :

hamit.bozarslan@ehess.fr  ccagla2002@yahoo.com   yvesdeloye@hotmail.com, duclert@ehess.fr, diana.gonzalez2@wanadoo.fr, ferhattaylan@gmail.com

 

Git initiative will publish January 1st 2012 a new list of academics, worldwide, who have signed in support of Academic Liberty and Freedom of Research in Turkey

1/ LETTER OF INFORMATION FOR THE GIT INITIATIVE, NOVEMBER 26, 2011

Dear Colleague,

 You are receiving this first letter of the International Work Group/Groupe international de travail (“GIT”): Academic Liberty and Freedom of Research in Turkey, after expressing your interest in joining our initiative or in creating a branch of GIT outside of France.

The inaugural declaration of the GIT initiative created on November 21, 2011, continues to circulate a great deal, and we have been receiving numerous messages from colleagues around the world. We see a great need for information as well as a strong engagement from everyone, conveying the urgency to act.

We are pleased to see that our initiative, started in France, is fulfilling its objective by operating on an international level. In order to facilitate this process, we have stated below some useful, practical information as to how you may wish to be involved:

 

Sign the inaugural declaration:

The inaugural declaration of the GIT initiative may be signed by all academics, researchers, translators, editors, who wish to attach their name to it. We will make public a new list of signatures, which includes everyone worldwide who has signed the inaugural declaration. We would like to caution graduate students or beginning researchers who conduct research in Turkey about the possible risks that they could take in exposing themselves publicly. Accessibility to their research terrain could subsequently be compromised. If these students and beginning researchers decide to restrain from signing, they may, nevertheless, be a member and participate in the activities of one of the GIT branches (their affiliation would stay confidential and would only be known by the fellow members).

 

Create a GIT branch in another country:

Another goal expressed in the inaugural declaration of the GIT initiative is a call for the creation of branches worldwide. Already, colleagues have already engaged themselves in creating branches in North America, Great Britain and Turkey. We will strive to put these people in contact with one another. Once a new branch is created, it can organize itself according to its own rhythm, organizational choices, means (Internet site, mailing lists, etc…).

 

Constitute international network of researchers:

It would be profitable for present teams of colleagues and for those who will soon join from different countries to reflect on common questions, which are central to the problems posed by the recent arrest of our colleagues in Turkey, for example: “To be a researcher in Turkey…and elsewhere”; “Studies on the conditions of research”; and “Research on judicial issues: justice and its principles.” The international site (www.gitinitiative.com) will provide access to all branches and will give an overview of activities of GIT international. A single mailing list will be created for all those who work as part of the initiative.

 

Belong to the French branch:

The first branch was installed in France (email address: info.gitfrance@gmail.com). It welcomes all researchers, academics, graduate students, etc… who would like to work within the framework of a laboratory of research examining research in a hostile and coercive environment. We will be organizing seminars in the very near future in Paris (but of course open to all members of other cities). The calendar of these seminars will be provided as soon as possible. The French website for GIT (www.gitfrance.fr) will be a tool used for work as well as a means to distribute public and scientific information. In other words, it is possible for colleagues who do not work in France to belong to the French branch, to contribute to studies conducted by the group in France and to receive information (through being on the mailing list). One can also belong to more than one branch.

 

“In Turkey…and elsewhere”

The action that we are conducting today is in defense of academic liberty and freedom of research in Turkey. We know that intellectual freedom is threatened in many other countries. Within the framework of GIT, eventual mobilization of other researchers for persecuted colleagues in Iran, Syria, Russia, China and elsewhere, is also one our goals. By setting up a network of academic research and knowledge, GIT initiative will serve as a means of surveillance of governments who deprive our colleagues of liberty and who govern by fear.

Hamit Bozarslan, Cengiz Cağla, Yves Deloye, Vincent Duclert, Diana Gonzalez, Ferhat Taylan

hamit.bozarslan@ehess.fr, ccagla2002@yahoo.com,  yvesdeloye@hotmail.com, duclert@ehess.fr, diana.gonzalez2@wanadoo.fr, ferhattaylan@gmail.com

www.gitinitiative.com

www.gitfrance.fr

info.gitfrance@gmail.com

Founders of GIT in France

The International Work Group (GIT): “Academic Liberty and Freedom of Research in Turkey” was created on the initiative of: Dr. Samim Akgönül, (Associate Professor of History and Political Science, Université de Strasbourg), Dr. Salih Akın, (Associate Professor of Linguistics, Université de Rouen), Dr. Marianne Baudin (Professor of Psychoanalysis, Université de Paris 13), Dr. Faruk Bilici (Professor of History, INALCO), Dr. Hamit Bozarslan (Professor of History and Sociology, Ecole des hautes études en sciences sociales/EHESS), Dr. Cengiz Cağla (Invited Professor of Political Science, EHESS), Dr. Renée Champion (Researcher, Arab Literature and Women Studies, CHSIM/EHESS), Dr. Etienne Copeaux (Historian, Turkish Studies), Dr. Philippe Corcuff (Associate Professor of Political Science, Sciences Po Lyon), Dr. Yves Déloye, Professor of Political Science, Sciences Po Bordeaux and Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Secretary General of the Association française de science politique), Dr. Gilles Dorronsoro (Professor of Political Science, Université de Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne), Dr. Vincent Duclert (Associate Professor of History, EHESS), Dr. Paul Dumont (Professor of History, Université de Strasbourg), Dr. Ragıp Ege (Professor of Economics, Université de Strasbourg), Dr. Gulçin Erdinç Lelandais (PhD, Sociology, EHESS, Marie Curie Fellow, University of Warwick), Dr. Didier Francfort (Professor of History, Université de Nancy-II), Dr. Zeynep Gambetti (PhD, Political Philosophy, Université de Paris-VII), Dr. Eric Geoffroy (Associate Professor of Arab and Islamic Studies, Université de Strasbourg), Dr. Nilüfer Göle, (Professor of Sociology, EHESS), Dr. Diana Gonzalez (PhD, Sociology and Aesthetics, EHESS), Dr. Gérard Groc (Researcher, History, IREMAN/CNRS), Deniz Günce Demirhisar (PhD student, Sociology, EHESS and ATER, Université de Paris 13), Dr. Ali Kazancigil (Co-director of the revue Anatoli, Political Science), Iclal Incioglu (PhD student, Social Psychology, Université de Paris-VII), Dr. Lilian Mathieu (Director of Research, CNRS, ENS de Lyon, Sociology), Dr. Claire Mouradian (Director of Research CNRS, History), Dr. Christophe Prochasson (Professor of History, EHESS), Dr. Daniel Rottenberg, M.D. (PhD candidate, History, Université de Strasbourg), Emine Sarikartal (PhD student, translator and editor, Philosophy, Université de Paris-Nanterre), Ferhat Taylan (PhD student and translator, Philosophy, Université de Bordeaux), Dr. Lucette Valensi (Professor of History, EHESS), Dr. Murat Yıldızoğlu (Professor of  Economics, Université de Bordeaux).

 

“Türkiye’de Araştırma ve Eğitim Özgürlüğü” Uluslararası Çalışma Grubu Cihan Kırmızıgül ile ilgili basın bildirgesi:

“Türkiye’de Araştırma ve Eğitim Özgürlüğü” Uluslararası Çalışma Grubu

Cihan Kırmızıgül ile ilgili basın bildirgesi:

Galatasaray Üniversitesi Endüstri Mühendisliği Bölümü öğrencisi Cihan Kırmızıgül, 22 aydır Tekirdağ F Tipi Cezaevi’nde tutuklu bulunmaktadır. Bir süpermarkete yönelik gerçekleştirilen Molotof kokteylli bir saldırıdan iki saat sonra, olay yerine yakın Kağıthane’de otobüs beklerken, saldırıya katılmış olduğuna dair hiçbir somut delil bulunmaksızın, zor kullanılarak gözaltına alınmıştır. O gün boynunda taşıdığı ve polis tarafından Kürt hareketiyle özdeşleştirilen “poşu”, gözaltına alınması için öne sürülen tek suç unsurudur. Bir gizli tanık tarafından “giysilerinden” teşhis edilmiş, fakat bu tanık, daha sonra ifadesini geri çekmiştir. Suç delillerinin zayıflığına işaret eden savcı, Kırmızıgül’ün beraatini istedikten sonra görevden alınmıştır. Mahkemenin 16 Kasım 2011 tarihinde gerçekleştirilen son duruşmasında tutukluluk halinin uzatılmasına karar verilirken; yeni savcı, Terörle Mücadele Kanunu kapsamında “terör örgütü üyesi olmak” suçundan, Kırmızıgül’ün 15 ila 45 yıl hapis cezasına çarptırılmasını istemiştir. Tutuklu kaldığı bu iki yıl boyunca Cihan Kırmızıgül yalnızca bireysel özgürlüklerinden değil, aynı zamanda üniversitede aldığı eğitimi sürdürme hakkından da mahrum bırakılmıştır.

 

Galatasaray Üniversitesi’nde görevli onlarca öğretim üyesi, Cihan Kırmızıgül’e verdikleri desteği kamuoyuna duyurmuştur. Bu vaka, talep edilen cezaların ağırlığı ve terörle mücadele kanununun yol açtığı keyfi uygulamalarla, Türkiye’de adaletin içine düştüğü ideolojik ve baskıcı gidişatı gözler önüne sermektedir. “Türkiye’de Araştırma ve Eğitim Özgürlüğü” Uluslararası Çalışma Grubu (GIT), uluslararası kamuoyunun dikkatini Cihan Kırmızıgül davasının 9 Aralık 2011’de İstanbul’da yapılacak duruşmasına çekmektedir. Çalışma Grubu, 22 yaşındaki bu öğrenciye isnat edilen suçların mahkeme tarafından adil bir yargılama ve somut delillerle ortaya konmasını, aksi halde Kırmızıgül’ün derhal serbest bırakılmasını ve hakkındaki tüm iddiaların düşmesini talep etmekte ve bu doğrultuda, “Tutuklu Öğrencilerle Dayanışma İnisiyatifi” (TÖDİ) ile birlikte davanın takipçisi olmaktadır.

http://www.gitinitiative.com

git.initiative@gmail.com

 

International Work Group "Academic Liberty and Freedom of Research in Turkey"/GIT’s Press Release Regarding Cihan Kırmızıgül

 

Cihan Kırmızıgül, an engineering student at Galatasaray University in Istanbul, has been imprisoned in a high security detention center in Tekirdag for the past 22 months. Two hours after a molotov cocktail attack on a supermarket, he was forcibly arrested while waiting for a bus in Kagithane (Istanbul), near the crime scene, without any evidence that he was part of the attacks. The only basis of his arrest was the “keffiyeh” he was wearing that day, which is a piece of clothing Turkish police is now associating with the Kurdish movement. Since then, the anonymous witness, who initially identified him by his "attire," has retracted his/her statement. The first prosecutor who pointed out the insufficiency of evidence and asked for Kırmızıgül’s release has been relieved of his duty. In the last hearing on November 16th, 2011, the court extended Kırmızıgül’s detention period; and the new prosecutor requested his imprisonment for 15 to 45 years for "belonging to a terrorist organization" under the Anti-Terrorism Law. During these past two years he has spent under detention, Cihan Kırmızıgül has not only been deprived of his individual liberties, but also of his right to continue his college education.

 

Dozens of professors at Galatasaray University have publicly announced their support for Cihan Kırmızıgül. This case exemplifies the request for heavy sentences, the arbitrary practices enabled by the anti-terrorism legislation, and the increasingly ideological and repressive course of the Turkish justice system. International Work Group "Academic Liberty and Freedom of Research in Turkey" (GIT) would like to draw global public attention to the next hearing of Cihan Kırmızıgül’s case that will take place on December 9th, 2011 in Istanbul. GIT joins the group "The Initiative for Solidarity with Students Under Detention" (TÖDİ) in demanding that the accusations brought against this 22 year old student are clearly laid out with tangible evidence and in a fair trial. Otherwise, we demand Kırmızıgül’s immediate release and that all charges against him be dropped. GIT, along with the group TÖDİ, will continue to follow the case closely.

For more information on the circumstances of Cihan Kırmızıgül’s arrest, please see the following article on Bianet Independent News Network:

http://bianet.org/english/freedom-of-expression/132528-behind-bars-for-wearing-a-keffiyeh

GIT website and email address:

http://www.gitinitiative.com

git.initiative@gmail.com

 

Communiqué de presse du GIT sur le cas de Cihan Kırmızıgül

Cihan Kırmızıgül, étudiant en ingénierie à l’Université Galatasaray d’Istanbul, est en détention depuis 22 mois dans la prison de haute sécurité à Tekirdağ. Deux heures après un attentat au cocktail Molotov qui visait un supermarché, il a été arrêté à Kağıthane (Istanbul), alors qu’il attendait un bus à proximité des lieux, et sans qu’il n’y ait la moindre preuve relative à son implication dans cet attentat. Le seul élément d’accusation mis en avant par la police fut le keffieh qu’il portait, interprété comme un symbole du mouvement kurde. Un témoignage anonyme fut produit, puis plusieurs fois retiré. Etant donnée la faiblesse des accusations, le procureur de garde avait alors demandé l’acquittement de l’accusé. Mais ce procureur fut remplacé. Lors de l’audience du procès en date du 16 novembre 2011, le tribunal a prolongé la détention de Cihan Kırmızıgül, et le nouveau procureur a réclamé une peine de 15 à 45 ans pour « appartenance à une organisation terroriste », dans le cadre de la loi anti-terreur en vigueur. Pendant ces deux années où il a été en détention, Cihan Kırmızıgül a été privé non seulement de sa liberté individuelle, mais a été également empêché de recevoir l’enseignement qu’il suivait à l’université Galatasaray.

Plusieurs dizaines d’enseignants de cette célèbre université franco-turque ont manifesté leur soutien à Cihan Kırmızıgül. Son cas illustre, par le caractère exorbitant des peines requises et l’application arbitraire d’une législation anti-terroriste, la tournure idéologique et répressive qu’a prise la justice en Turquie. Le GIT « liberté de recherche et d’enseignement en Turquie » veut attirer l’attention de l’opinion publique internationale sur la nouvelle audience du procès de Cihan Kırmızıgül, le 9 décembre prochain à Istanbul. Le GIT s’associe à « l’initiative pour la solidarité avec les étudiants détenus » (TODI) pour demander la libération immédiate de Cihan Kırmızıgül et l’abandon de toutes les charges, à moins que la justice ne puisse établir, sur des preuves concrètes et par un procès équitable, les faits dont cet étudiant de 22 ans est accusé.

Pour plus d’informations sur les circonstances de l’arrestation de Cihan Kırmızıgül, voir l’article en anglais du site d’information indépendant Bianet :

http://bianet.org/english/freedom-of-expression/132528-behind-bars-for-wearing-a-keffiyeh

http://www.gitinitiative.com

git.initiative@gmail.com