The German Society for Philosophy and the Society for Analytical Philosophy are deeply concerned about the current actions of the Turkish government and Turkish authorities against university lecturers at Turkish universities.
More than 1,000 university lecturers recently signed a petition entitled “We will not be party to this crime.” This petition sharply criticizes Turkey’s current military operation in Kurdish regions in its fight against the PKK, primarily due to its impact on the civilian population, and demands an immediate cessation of violence. Subsequently, approximately 20 of the signatory lecturers, including several philosophers, were temporarily detained, and prosecutorial investigations were initiated against the signatories for supporting a terrorist organization and insulting Turkey. Furthermore, the government is creating a climate of fear through a massive public campaign against the signatories. Internal university disciplinary proceedings are also threatened.
The German Society for Philosophy and the Society for Analytical Philosophy regard these actions as a massive violation of the freedom of speech of university lecturers guaranteed under the rule of law. This attack on freedom of speech is particularly grave because it concerns a legitimate and entirely natural exercise of this right and substantially endangers the contribution of university lecturers to public political discourse. We therefore call upon the Turkish government and all responsible Turkish authorities to immediately cease their repression of the affected university lecturers.
Prof. Dr. Thomas Grundmann
(President of the Society for Analytical Philosophy)
Prof. Dr. Dominik Perler
(President of the German Society for Philosophy)
Cologne and Berlin, January 22, 2016