The International Human Rights Network of Academies and Scholarly Societies (IHRNASS) has issued a statement regarding the Turkish academicians right to free speech. For the pdf file please click. Furthermore as of 25 January 30 Nobel Laureates have endorsed this statement (full list here)

January 19, 2016

The International Human Rights Network of Academies and Scholarly Societies (H.R. Network) supports and defends the right of fellow academics, anywhere in the world, to peacefully express their lawful opinions and concerns. We, the members of the H.R. Network’s Executive Committee, are alarmed by the increasingly repressive and inflammatory reaction by Turkish government leaders, many university officials, and other intolerant individuals toward hundreds of our Turkish colleagues, solely because they publicly expressed humanitarian concerns about the grave crisis in south eastern Turkey. Surely, citizens of a democratic country such as Turkey, and its academics in particular, have a civic duty to remind their government, when deemed necessary, of its obligation to respect Turkey’s constitution, adhere to humanitarian standards for all of its citizens, and give priority to peaceful solutions in crisis situations.

We condemn any threats, false accusations, and incitement to violence against our colleagues by the government of Turkey, which is obligated, under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to allow its citizens the “freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” In addition, we urge the government of Turkey to protect the rights of its citizens, to desist from threatening academics who are performing their civic duties by participating in governance, and to call its operatives to order—thereby discouraging hostile action against our colleagues.

Arjuna Aluwihare

D. Balasubramarin

Edouard Brezin

Martin Chalfie*

Abdallah S. Daar

Belita Koiller

Pedro Leon

Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu

Dong-Pil Min

Ida Nicolaisen

John Polanyi*

Ovid Tzeng

Authors of the H.R. Network’s 2013 Report, “Scientists, Engineers, and Medical Doctors in Turkey”

Carol Corillon

Peter Diamond*

Hans-Peter Zenner

 

*Nobel laureate