European Trade Union Committee for Education

On 1 July 2016 the Turkish ETUCE member organisation EGITIM-SEN informed the ETUCE Secretariat that since the last action undertaken to protect the rights of academics, 453 academics from public universities and 63 academics from private universities have been 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, by the Turkish Council of Higher Education (YÖK) in Ankara was foreseen on 20 July 2016. The academics risk to be removed from their profession and duties as civil servants. Should YÖK go forward with that, the academics will not be allowed to work at universities in Turkey ever again.

ETUCE stands in strong solidarity with all Turkish academics suffering from the ongoing persecutions, the violations of human rights and the freedom of expression and freedom of speech.

On 5 July 2016 ETUCE launched a Call for Action among its member organisations to mobilise efforts and protest together against the abuse of power that undermines democracy, guarantee of the rule of law, justice and fundamental freedoms in Turkey. ETUCE member organisations were asked to address letters of protest to the Turkish government, the Turkish Council of Higher Education, national Turkish embassies in their respective country and to their country’s embassy in Turkey with a view to defend academic freedom, quality higher education as well as fundamental freedoms.

ETUCE member organisations responded to the call and took actions to express their outrage against the illicit measures undertaken by the Turkish government and advocate and defend academic freedom, fundamental freedoms and quality higher education in Turkey.

Yesterday, on 13 July 2016, EGITIM SEN reported that the investigation of the files of the Turkish academics by the Turkish Council of Higher Education (YÖK) foreseen on 20 July 2016 has been postponed for an indefinite time.

Nevertheless, ETUCE continues monitoring the situation and informing its member organisations about the further development of this case, advocating for the full application of the fundamental rights and the freedoms of expression and of speech of academics in Turkey.