Professor, teacher arrested on day 75 of hunger strike

A professor and a school teacher, detained by police in the capital, Ankara, on the 75th day of their hunger strike in front of the Human Rights Monument, have since been arrested.

Nuriye Gülmen, a professor of literature, and primary school teacher Semih Özakça were detained in a 1am police raid on their home on 22 May and were referred to court for arrest the next day after testifying at the prosecutor’s office, according to bianet.org, a rights-based journalism platform.

Their lawyer, Selçuk Kozagacli, announced on Twitter that Gülmen and Özakça were arrested and shared the reasoned decision of the court, which stated that a lawsuit had been brought against Gülmen and Özakça on 2 May, under Article 100/3-a of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

The justification was that if they were not arrested "they would disturb the functioning of the justice system” and “probationary measures would be insufficient when taken into account prescribed time to be served for the respective crimes".

Police were concerned that the strike would become a “death fast”, sparking a wider protest movement, according to The Guardian.

Gülmen and Özakça are two of 4,811 academics and 40,000 teachers who were dismissed by emergency decree following the failed coup attempt of 15 July last year.

Under the state of emergency declared following the coup attempt, those dismissed from their positions are subjected to a lifetime ban from seeking employment as civil servants and face a range of social and professional restrictions.

Their passports, and those of some of their spouses, have been cancelled as has their health insurance. They can only challenge the dismissal decision through the Commission to Investigate State of Emergency Affairs, which has yet to be assembled while concerns have been raised over its functionality and independence.

PEN International has called on the Turkish authorities to release Gülmen and Özakça immediately and to end the arbitrary dismissals of civil servants.

“Those dismissed from their jobs should have immediate access to an independent and effective appeals mechanism. Where no legitimate grounds are found for their dismissals, they have the right to be reinstated in their positions and the right to legal remedies,” it said in a statement on its website.

The organisation further calls on the Turkish authorities to end arbitrary arrests and their far-reaching crackdown on freedom of expression, end the state of emergency for three more months and uphold the independence of the judiciary.

Both teachers had been fired from their jobs under statutory decree, and were demanding reinstatement.

Gülmen was employed at Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Bianet reported. After her contract was not renewed, she brought a lawsuit and won. Seven months later, she started to work at Selçuk University. A day after she started her job, she was suspended from duty, based on the ongoing investigation into the Gülen movement, which is blamed for the attempted coup in July last year. She was dismissed on 6 January 2017 via statutory decree number 679.

Özakça, a teacher in Mardin, was dismissed under statutory decree 675 for alleged links to a “terror organisation”, according to Bianet.

The two had been involved in a sit-in in front of the Human Rights Monument in Ankara from November and in March, while detained, went on permanent hunger strike.

They have been surviving since on lemon, salt and sugar solutions. They had been detained and released 17 times, totalling 34 days, before their arrest, according to PEN International. They were both recently diagnosed with Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome by medical professionals.

Amnesty International said there are “fears for their wellbeing, including that they may be forced to end their hunger strike against their will".

International criticism

Their case has drawn international support.

Carles Torner, executive director of PEN International, said: “By detaining Semih Özakça and Nuriye Gülmen, the Turkish authorities show once again their utter contempt for freedom of expression and human rights. Özakça and Gülmen must be released immediately.

“Their appeal, and that of the tens of thousands of civil servants who have been arbitrarily dismissed since the coup attempt, must be examined promptly, independently and impartially.”

Film-maker and director Ken Loach and film producer Rebecca O'Brien have published a message saying: "We send our support and salute the courage of Nuriye and Semih. Their victimisation shames [President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan, his government and the media which remains silent. All those, including our politicians, who claim to support justice and open democracy must demand that Nuriye and Semih should be immediately reinstated."

Police broke through a steel door to enter the home of Gülmen and Özakça at 1am on Monday 22 May. They also reportedly attacked supporters who gathered in the hunger strike area in front of the Human Rights Monument in Ankara during the day.

It has been reported that some of the supporters were assaulted and detained by police.

In an earlier incident on 12 May, Bianet reported, police blockaded the hunger strike area. At the time Özakça said: “They are trying to end the protest by isolating us.

“We are very determined. Our hunger strike is within our bodies. The resistance will continue no matter what they do. I know that people will face the risks and take it to the street to make us heard. I know this. I believe in people and I know that they will lend [an] ear to our call.”

Freely discussed

Meanwhile, President Erdogan said on 20 May that Turkey would ensure that any opinion could be freely discussed at universities, as long as it did not serve terrorism, according to Hurriyet Daily News.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of Ibn Haldun University in Istanbul's Halic Congress Center, Erdogan said that the government's struggle is against those who openly support and speak for terrorism, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. "Our struggle is not against different ideologies, our struggle is against terror and terror groups," he said.

He said that no civilised country in the world would allow terror groups to nest in universities nor transform universities into training camps for the groups. He also stressed that 14 years were spent countering ideologies which banned students from enrolling at universities based on their clothing and appearance.