Report of the current situation
The declaration of the Academics for Peace (Barış İçin Akademisyenler, BAK) “we will not be a party to this crime”, signed by 1128 individuals, a majority of whom work in academic institutions in Turkey, was made public in two press conferences held simultaneously in Ankara and İstanbul on January 11, 2016. Following the press conference nearly one thousand more of our colleagues joined in signing the declaration, hence, now, the total number of signatories now amounts to 2212. In the days following the press conference, signatories from 89 universities across Turkey faced accusations such as “supporters of terror”, “traitors”, “straw or copy intellectuals” in public statements made personally by the President of the Republic, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan over nationally broadcasting tv and radio stations, in addition to several other government authorities, such as the Council of Higher Education (CoHE), the Inter-university Council, and by the presidencies of various universities
