Galatasaray High School Reunion Day: ‘Freedom to Academics for Peace’

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On the 85 traditional alumni reunion day at Galatasaray High School in İstanbul, a banner was unfurled for imprisoned Academics for Peace Füsun Üstel and Tuna Altınel yesterday (June 2).

Messages of support and solidarity were also written on postcards prepared for Üstel and Altınel and the postcards were then sent to the prisons where the academics are held in Eskişehir and Balıkesir.

"We say 'Solidarity keeps one alive' and send them some rice dish* that they cannot spoon up with us today", stated the Galatasaray Common Sense Platform in their statement that they read out in front of the high school.

'We feel bitter'

In their statement, the platform said, "We feel bitter spooning up our rice dish because of the ones who are not with us today" and made the following remarks on Altınel and Üstel as well the ongoing trials of academics:

"Having signed the declaration 'We will not be a party to this crime' with a demand for Peace, Justice and Democracy like thousands of other academics, Prof. Dr. Füsun Üstel, a faculty member at Galatasaray University, has been sentenced to 15 months in prison and her sentence has not been deferred. Üstel has been in Eskişehir Prison for 25 days.

CLICK - Academic for Peace Füsun Üstel Imprisoned

"Similarly, Assoc. Prof. Tuna Altınel, a lecturer at the Department of Mathematics at Lyon 1 University, was arrested in Balıkesir and sent to Kepsut Prison 22 days ago for supporting Peace and Democracy like Üstel.

CLICK - Academic for Peace Tuna Altınel Arrested in Balıkesir

'We have to speak up more'

"On the day when the judicial reform was announced, we learned that the cases filed against the academics have been extended and hundreds of new academics will run around in courthouse corridors instead of spending time on their lectures and research.

"In this period when there is an attempt to silence the voices of academics, journalists, and the ones producing science and opinion and when the country has been turned into a prison, we believe that we should once again say it out loud that freedom of expression underpins a democratic society and speak up more for social peace, justice and democracy." (TP/SD)

* In some high schools in Turkey, the alumni/ reunions day is also called 'pilaff/ rice dish day' as rice dish is eaten on these day.