Academic Nuriye Gulmen (L) and primary school teacher Semih Ozakca (R), who were sacked by a decree-law during the state of emergency, are pictured on the 74th day of their hunger strike on May 21, 2017 in Ankara, Turkey. Nuriye and Semih were arrested by a court decision on the 76th day of their hunger strike on May 23. Picture by Altan Gocher/Zuma Press/PA Images. All rights reserved. I have been struggling with myself as to whether I should write this note. I have come to the conclusion that I should, given the risk that two education professionals on hunger strike for 138 days in Turkey may die any minute. My decision has also been influenced by the fact that the international organisation that I expect to defend academic freedom and the teaching staff – the UNESCO – has failed to do anything in their support. Even if the UNESCO had intervened with the Turkish government behind closed doors, this information was not made available to me when I asked UNESCO as to whether they have taken any action.
Education professionals Nuriye Gülmen and Semih Özakça were dismissed from their jobs by state of emergency decrees in Turkey. They went on a hunger strike 138 days ago (as of 24 July 2017) with a simple demand: “I want my job back”. The Turkish police has attacked the hunger strikers and their supporters almost on a daily basis with teargas and truncheons. As the hunger strikers persisted despite police brutality, on 23 May 2017, Turkish courts have detained Gülmen and Özakça on terrorism charges!
A group of concerned academics in the UK has initiated a petition calling on UNESCO to intervene with the Turkish government. We asked UNESCO to ‘mobilize all other UN agencies and all UNESCO partners’ and call on the Turkish government to reinstate dismissed academics and teachers not involved directly in the botched coup. The petition has been signed by 8,760 signatories.
