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Concern at response to Turkish protests | Concern at response to Turkish protests |
(4 months later) | |
As academics at the University of Oxford, we would like to express our deep concern about the events taking place in Turkey. In response to the protests in Istanbul, as well as in other towns and cities in the country, rights and freedoms are being severely curtailed. In addition to what seems to be the deployment of excessive police force, we are witnessing a large number of arbitrary arrests, undue pressure being brought to bear on the Turkish media and, in a more general sense, serious infringements on the rights of assembly and free speech. While we recognise that the Justice and Development Party is the elected government and possesses a strong popular mandate, we also believe that, as a democratic government, it should seek to guarantee the civil liberties of all Turkey's citizens. | As academics at the University of Oxford, we would like to express our deep concern about the events taking place in Turkey. In response to the protests in Istanbul, as well as in other towns and cities in the country, rights and freedoms are being severely curtailed. In addition to what seems to be the deployment of excessive police force, we are witnessing a large number of arbitrary arrests, undue pressure being brought to bear on the Turkish media and, in a more general sense, serious infringements on the rights of assembly and free speech. While we recognise that the Justice and Development Party is the elected government and possesses a strong popular mandate, we also believe that, as a democratic government, it should seek to guarantee the civil liberties of all Turkey's citizens. |
We are particularly concerned with the uncompromising stance of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which will inevitably further inflame a volatile situation. Several leading academics and intellectuals in Turkey have already signalled their fears at the response to these protests and expressed their solidarity with those on the streets, many of whom are university students. We join our colleagues in Turkey in calling on the government to respect basic freedoms and to resolve the impasse through dialogue and consensual politics rather than force and violence. We believe only a peaceful resolution of the standoff can pave the way for the strengthening of Turkey's democracy. Dr Reem Abou-El-Fadl Department of Politics and International Relations Dr Evrim Altıntaş Department of Sociology Dr Christian Arnold Department of Politics and International Relations Dr Miryam Asfar Faculty of Oriental Studies Professor Andrew Barry School of Geography and the Environment Dr Mette Louise Berg Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology Professor Paul Betts Faculty of Modern History Professor Francesco Billari Head of Department of Sociology Professor Julia Bray Faculty of Oriental Studies Professor Richard Caplan Department of Politics and International Relations Dr Emine Çakır Faculty of Oriental Studies Dr Igor Calzada School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography Dr Gregory JH Deacon African Studies Centre Dr Neli Demireva Department of Sociology Dr Faisal Devji Faculty of Modern History Dr Evelyn Ersanilli School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography Dr Kimberly Fisher Centre For Time Use Research Professor Sudhir Hazareesingh Department of Politics and International Relations Dr Peter Healey School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography Dr Clare Heyward School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography Dr Francisco Herreros European Studies Centre Dr Renee Hirschon St Peter's College Dr Hande Inanç Department of Sociology Professor Jeremy Johns Director of the Khalili Research Centre for the Art and Material Culture of the Middle East Dr Man-Yee Kan Department of Sociology Dr Celia Kerslake St Antony's College Professor Theo van Lint Faculty of Oriental Studies Professor Margaret Macmillan Faculty of Modern History Dr Adam Mestyan Faculty of Oriental Studies Dr Laurent Mignon Faculty of Oriental Studies Professor Kalypso Nicolaidis Department of Politics and International Relations Androulla Kaminara European Studies Centre Dr Kerem Öktem European Studies Centre Professor Leigh A Payne Director of Latin American Centre Dr Lauge Poulsen Department of Politics and International Relations Dr Jerome Ravetz School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography Professor Steve Rayner School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography Professor Simon Saunders Faculty of Philosophy Dr Nicolai Sinai Faculty of Oriental Studies Dr Ebru Soytemel School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography Dr Vaclav Stetka European Studies Centre Professor Oriel Sullivan Department of Sociology Professor Catherine de Vries Department of Politics and International Relations Dr Robert De Vries Department of Sociology Dr Bryan Ward-Perkins Director of Ertegun House Professor Laurence Whitehead Department of Politics and International Relations | We are particularly concerned with the uncompromising stance of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which will inevitably further inflame a volatile situation. Several leading academics and intellectuals in Turkey have already signalled their fears at the response to these protests and expressed their solidarity with those on the streets, many of whom are university students. We join our colleagues in Turkey in calling on the government to respect basic freedoms and to resolve the impasse through dialogue and consensual politics rather than force and violence. We believe only a peaceful resolution of the standoff can pave the way for the strengthening of Turkey's democracy. Dr Reem Abou-El-Fadl Department of Politics and International Relations Dr Evrim Altıntaş Department of Sociology Dr Christian Arnold Department of Politics and International Relations Dr Miryam Asfar Faculty of Oriental Studies Professor Andrew Barry School of Geography and the Environment Dr Mette Louise Berg Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology Professor Paul Betts Faculty of Modern History Professor Francesco Billari Head of Department of Sociology Professor Julia Bray Faculty of Oriental Studies Professor Richard Caplan Department of Politics and International Relations Dr Emine Çakır Faculty of Oriental Studies Dr Igor Calzada School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography Dr Gregory JH Deacon African Studies Centre Dr Neli Demireva Department of Sociology Dr Faisal Devji Faculty of Modern History Dr Evelyn Ersanilli School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography Dr Kimberly Fisher Centre For Time Use Research Professor Sudhir Hazareesingh Department of Politics and International Relations Dr Peter Healey School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography Dr Clare Heyward School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography Dr Francisco Herreros European Studies Centre Dr Renee Hirschon St Peter's College Dr Hande Inanç Department of Sociology Professor Jeremy Johns Director of the Khalili Research Centre for the Art and Material Culture of the Middle East Dr Man-Yee Kan Department of Sociology Dr Celia Kerslake St Antony's College Professor Theo van Lint Faculty of Oriental Studies Professor Margaret Macmillan Faculty of Modern History Dr Adam Mestyan Faculty of Oriental Studies Dr Laurent Mignon Faculty of Oriental Studies Professor Kalypso Nicolaidis Department of Politics and International Relations Androulla Kaminara European Studies Centre Dr Kerem Öktem European Studies Centre Professor Leigh A Payne Director of Latin American Centre Dr Lauge Poulsen Department of Politics and International Relations Dr Jerome Ravetz School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography Professor Steve Rayner School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography Professor Simon Saunders Faculty of Philosophy Dr Nicolai Sinai Faculty of Oriental Studies Dr Ebru Soytemel School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography Dr Vaclav Stetka European Studies Centre Professor Oriel Sullivan Department of Sociology Professor Catherine de Vries Department of Politics and International Relations Dr Robert De Vries Department of Sociology Dr Bryan Ward-Perkins Director of Ertegun House Professor Laurence Whitehead Department of Politics and International Relations |
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