The International Association for Media & Communication Research joins the international community in supporting the academic freedom of colleagues at the School of Communication at Marmara University, whose constitutional, democratic and union rights are threatened. We urge the Dean of the Faculty of Communication to avoid the indiscriminate and disproportionate use of discplininary measures, to avoid any illegitimate and unethical treatment of members of the academic staff and to express his explicit support principles of freedom of investigation and freedom of speech.
Below more information, including the "Statement from Research Assistants from Marmara University Communications Faculty" and the letter of the "Committee on Academic Freedom of the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA)", can be found.
The IAMCR Executive Board
Statement from Research Assistants from Marmara University Communications Faculty
Two research assistants were expelled from Istanbul's Marmara University Faculty of Communication on Tuesday for joining the strike action by KESK (Confederation of Public Workers’ Union) in June.
As a result of disciplinary proceedings undertaken by the Dean’s Office at the Marmara University Faculty of Communication, Istanbul, which was initiated upon the request of the Dean Yusuf Devran against 11 research assistants for joining the countrywide strike action that was organized by KESK (Confederation of Public Workers’ Union) on 4th and 5th of June 2013, 8 research assistants were subjected to promotional suspension penalty for 24 months. One research assistant was subjected to a cut from salary. 2 research assistants, Dr. Figen Algul and Can Ozbasaran will be expelled from faculty in case of Higher Education Council of Turkey (YOK) confirms the penalty. The final verdict will be delivered by YOK President Gokhan Cetinsaya.
With this decision, Vice President of Marmara University, Zafer Gul and the Dean of the Faculty of Communication, Yusuf Devran once again declared their determination to violate the constitutional rights of strike, freedom of speech as well as their disclaim of political and democratic rights of academics and workers of the Marmara University to organize, to unionize and to strike that are also under protection of several international protocols such as Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and European Convention on Human Rights. This decision is not only the violation of political and democratic rights of academic and labor body of the University; but also an expression of the Vice Presidency and the Communications Faculty Dean’s Office’s overt disregard of international community that has recently condemned criminalization of democratic acts of academics by unlawful investigations toward it. The petition that was signed in last September by 1,431 international scholars, philosophers, social scientists among whom there were many prominent academics of respective fields, was an expression of ongoing concern about level of academic freedom, organization, political rights and democratic participation in Marmara University.
Eight research assistants who have participated to countrywide strike called by KESK were subjected to the same penalty as the murderer of Ethem Sarisuluk, who was shot by his head during protests at the Gezi Park. And the other two were subjected to a heavier penalty. Not only does this show the utter collapse of justice in Turkey; but also the determination of pro-government institutions and academic administrations to condemn Gezi Park protests and protestors who radically challenged the legitimacy of political power in Turkey as well as to display their utter hatred and resentment towards them.
We would also like to emphasize that these unlawful allegations, charges and penalties are part of the ongoing pressures against research assistants who have been forced to sign only 6-months-long contracts, thus to work without job security before upcoming Presidency elections at the Marmara University. All these illegitimate acts that aim to bring fear and intimidation into all components of academic body will be indicted and accounted before the democratic public.
While keeping to expose all unlawful experience, we declare that we will take all necessary legal actions on every member of administrative body of the Marmara University who endorses those unlawful penalty charges, utters slanderous statements like “significant defects were caused in exams due to strike” or attempts to split up research assistants among themselves by offering a reduction with imposed penalties in return of changes in official defense during the investigation process.
We call democratic public, national and international community of scholars, intellectuals and academics to condemn Yusuf Devran’s acts against academic freedom in Marmara University Communications Faculty.
Other statements and more detailed information are available at the links below:
MESA Letter: Letter Concerning Incidents at the Marmara University Faculty of Communications
http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/9808/letter-concerning-incidents-at-the-marmara-univers
MESA Letter (PDF)
http://www.mesa.arizona.edu/pdf/Turkey20130124.pdf
Amnesty International-Human Rights in Turkey: An Academic Dean and Political Enforcer
http://humanrightsturkey.org/2013/01/25/an-academic-dean-and-political-enforcer/
Petition: Academic freedom is our freedom!
http://akademiyeozgurluk.blogspot.com/p/english.html
GIT-North America: MESA urges Turkey to Take Action Against Anti-Democratic Activities of Marmara University Dean
http://gitamerica.blogspot.com/2013/01/mesa-urges-turkey-to-take-action.html
GIT-North America: The Dean's New Job: Social Media Surveillance
http://gitamerica.blogspot.com/2012/03/deans-new-job-social-media-surveillance.html
GIT-North America: Big brother is watching: A dean, a student, the police and their social media (re)actions
http://gitamerica.blogspot.com/2012/02/social-media-and-control-over.html
Bianet: BIA Media Monitoring 2012
http://www.bianet.org/english/freedom-of-expression/146353-bia-media-monitoring-2012-full-text