The ongoing violation of fundamental freedoms in Turkey – ETUCE calls for action - European Trade Union Committee for Education

The ongoing violation of fundamental freedoms in Turkey – ETUCE calls for action

Published: 05 July 2016

EGITIM-SEN, ETUCE member organisation in Turkey, has reported that since the last EI/ETUCE action undertaken to protect the rights of academics last month, 453 academics from public universities and 63 academics from private universities are subjected to internal investigations by the Turkish Council of Higher Education for signing the peace statement ‘We will not be a party to this crime’.

The investigation of the files of 25 academics, among them 15 EGITIM- SEN members, is to be processed on 20 July 2016 by the Turkish Council of Higher Education (Yüksek Öğretim Kurulu – YÖK as it is commonly referred to in Turkey). The academics risk to be removed from their profession and duties as civil servants. Should YÖK go forward with this, these academics will not be allowed to work at universities in Turkey ever again.

Knowing that one third of the Turkish Council of Higher Education’s members are directly appointed by the President of the Republic of Turkey and one third are selected by the Council of Ministers (Cabinet), ETUCE is appalled by the undemocratic and unacceptable high level of degrading and inhuman treatment of academics that explicitly constitutes the deprivation of their academic freedom and the human right to freedom of expression.

ETUCE calls on its member organisations to stand together with the Turkish colleagues and take action addressing protest letters to the Turkish government, the Turkish Council of Higher Education, the Turkish Embassy in their respective country, to their country’s Embassy in Turkey, the EU delegation in Turkey, as well as to their government.

EGITIM-SEN is organising a demonstration on 20 July 2016 in Ankara and ETUCE warmly invites its member organisations to contact EGITIM-SEN, if they wish to send a delegation to the demonstration to express their solidarity with the Turkish academics.

For more information contact EGITIM-SEN at general This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..