[Fdu] NWSA Open Letter on attacks on academics in/from Turkey

[Cynthia Wright]

Hello Everyone
Scroll down below for a new statement by the National Women's Studies 
Association on attacks on Turkish academics.
The statement also includes links to news articles and information.
Best
C


*December 21, 2016*

Dear Colleagues:

As members of the Executive Committee of the National Women’s Studies 
Association, we write to express our deep concern over the alarming, 
ongoing, and unprecedented attacks on academics in/from Turkey.

Concerns about academic freedom have been mounting over the last year as 
academics in/from Turkey have been retaliated against by the government 
for signing a petition. The “peace petition,” as it was colloquially 
called, called for resuming recently halted peace negotiations between 
the Turkish state and the Kurdish guerilla organization, the PKK. The 
petition included over two thousand signatories, including 
internationally renowned feminist scholars. In January 2016, the Turkish 
president called the signatories “traitors,” which ignited a witch-hunt, 
including publishing the names and photos of signatories, marking 
signatories’ office doors with red paint crosses, widespread 
institutional disciplinary investigations, suspensions, dismissals, and 
blacklistings, a mass criminal prosecution of all signatories with 
accusations of “terrorist propaganda,” house raids, detentions, and arrests.

Attacks on academics have escalated alarmingly in the context of the 
government’s increasing authoritarianism under emergency rule, declared 
after the coup attempt in July 2016. For instance, the government has 
demanded that all university deans and presidents resign, transferred 
the authority to appoint university presidents directly to Turkey’s 
president, cancelled faculty elections, closed various private 
universities and schools, suspended or dismissed tens of thousands of 
academics and teachers, and restricted academics’ international travel. 
The scale of targeted individuals and institutions is distressing. 
Freedom of expression has been gravely undermined, with hundreds of 
media outlets banned, more than 130 journalists in prison, hundreds of 
civil society organizations closed, and parliamentarians from opposing 
parties arrested. Feminists and LGBTIQ activists are alarmed about the 
deteriorating political climate and the increased vulnerabilities posed 
for women and gender nonconforming individuals.

The National Women’s Studies Association condemns these attacks on 
academic freedom and autonomy and calls for solidarity with academics 
in/from Turkey.


Barbara Ransby, President
Elora Halim Chowdhury, Vice President
/Karma Chávez//,/ Treasurer
Carrie Baker, Secretary
Vivian M. May, Past President

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National Women's Studies Association · 11 E Mount Royal Suite 100 · 
Baltimore, MD 21202 · USA

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