The situation in Turkey after the military coup attempt of last week
The Scientific Committee of the Italian Mathematical Union is following with the greatest concern the situation in Turkey after the military coup attempt of last week.
While we share the support for the democratically elected government of Turkey, we are very worried about the repressive and restrictive measures which are being introduced, particularly concerning the education sector, including higher education, universities, research, etc. We strongly condemn any action against universities and university staff, and express our support for the higher education community in Turkey and in particular to the fellow mathematicians.
Indeed, we think that these measures go in a very bad direction, we think that Turkey should react with more, not less, democracy to the coup attempt, that Turkey needs freedom of speech, public and open debates, and specifically, more inclusion in the international circuits of culture, science and research. The principles of free expression, freedom of association, institutional autonomy and academic freedom for scholars and students are at the base of democratic rights and have to be preserved in any way.
Da parte di alcuni soci ci è pervenuto l’appello ”Urgent Call for Solidarity!” reperibile sul sito
http://www.aesop-
L’Umi ha già preso posizione al riguardo della situazione in Turchia.
Invitiamo i soci che lo desiderino ad appoggiare la posizione dell’UMI inviando anche singolarmente un messaggio come indicato nell’appello in questione.
Oggi è stato inviato alle autorità turche il seguente ulteriore messaggio:
On the 22nd of July 2016 the Scientific Committee of the Italian Mathematical Union posted a document on its web site
https://umi.dm.unibo.it/2016/
expressing its greatest concern for the repressive and restrictive measures particularly concerning the education sector, universities and research in that country after the military coup attempt. Unfortunately the events of the last few weeks, far from dissipating our concern, have reinforced it. Indeed, according to reports, the Turkish government has acted against academics signatories of the Peace Petition prior to the coup attempt. On September 1, 2016, the Turkish government used the State of Emergency rule to ban 44 professors. Nearly 3.000 academics have been purged from the university system through the Council of Higher Education.
Deep concern has been expressed also by various scientific associations. Among them, the American Mathematical Society, with a letter sent from its President Robert L. Bryant to President Erdogan, and the Youngs Academic Network. The Italian Mathematica Union reiterates its protest for the repression of the Turkish government against the higher education community, and strongly hopes for a prompt restoration of free expression of opinions, freedom of association, institutional autonomy and academic freedom for scholars and students in Turkey.
