‘Security Directorate profiles Academics for Peace’

* Photo: Academics for Peace / Twitter

Click to read the article in Turkish

The İstanbul Provincial Directorate of Security has sent an official letter to the İstanbul 13th Heavy Penal Court and requested that the detailed rulings on Academics for Peace with finalization statements be sent to the Data Collection and Archive Bureau of the Security Branch Directorate.

Signed by Fatih Tınas, the Director of the Security Branch, the letter addressed to the court has requested the detailed rulings on academics Esra Mungan, Muzaffer Kaya, Kıvanç Ersoy and Sevda Bulduk as well as Şebnem Korur-Fincancı who were put on trial for having signed the declaration entitled "We will not be a party to this crime".

CLICK - First Arrested Academics for Peace Acquitted

Speaking to bianet regarding the request of the Security Directorate, attorney Özcan Kılıç has said, "Requesting this information while knowing that the academics have been acquitted means profiling."

Korur-Fincancı stood trial in another case

After they signed the peace declaration and announced it to the public in March 2016, separate lawsuits were filed against the Academics for Peace at different courts and they were charged with "propagandizing for a terrorist organization." Having signed the declaration, Şebnem Korur-Fincancı stood trial at the İstanbul 37th Heavy Penal Court and was acquitted after the Constitutional Court gave a ruling of right violation.

There was also an ongoing lawsuit against her at the İstanbul 13th Heavy Penal Court; but, it was not related to the declaration. That is, charged with "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" for having participated in the "Editors-in-Chief on Watch" campaign for the closed Özgür Gündem newspaper, Korur-Fincancı was also acquitted of the offense charged.

In the letter sent to the 13th Heavy Penal Court, the ruling on Şebnem Korur-Fincancı in the Özgür Gündem case and the rulings on Asst. Prof. Mungan, Asst. Prof. Kaya, Assoc. Prof. Ersoy and Asst. Prof. Bulduk in the Academics for Peace trial have been requested by the Security Directorate.

'So that the records can be properly kept'

The document sent by the İstanbul Directorate of Security to the heavy penal court has referred to the Circular Letter no. 10 of the General Directorate for Penal Affairs of the Ministry of Justice dated 01.01.2006 and to the Circular Letter no. 3 of the Department of Smuggling, Intelligence, Operation and Data Collection of the Ministry of Interior dated 04.06.2007.

Referring to this framework, the directorate has requested the related detailed rulings with finalized statements "so that the records of persons who committed crimes can be properly kept and the records can be updated."

Attorney: A mentality of creating an identity of terror

Speaking to bianet about this request, attorney Özcan Kılıç has defined it as an attempt to "profile" the academics:

"While the trials were still ongoing, they also tried to create an identity of terror for the academics. There was an attempt to extend their files by adding their social media messages or their writings.

"Now, there is an insistent demand to receive the court rulings on acquitted academics, as if they had been convicted. Requesting this information while knowing that the academics have been acquitted means profiling. The mentality that was in place during the trials is still prevailing today."

Özcan has also commented on the decision to be given by the related court about this request: "In that case, the court may either say that these persons have been acquitted and, thus, there are no rulings of conviction against them, or it may send a copy of the rulings. However, if no reply is given, the security directorate might sometimes be insistent." (TP/SD)