Joint Statement by the French Sociological Association and the ISA in support of Prof. Pinar Selek

On June 28, 2024, the fifth trial against Pro­fes­sor Pinar Selek will start in Istan­bul. A renow­ned socio­lo­gist and wri­ter, cur­rent­ly a Pro­fes­sor at the Uni­ver­si­té de Côte d’Azur in France, Dr. Pinar Selek has been the sub­ject of four trials since 1998. Her judi­cial pro­blems star­ted when she was indic­ted for refu­sing to hand over the sources of her research on Kur­dish mino­ri­ties. Accu­sa­tions of ter­ro­rism were made up later. Experts have dis­mant­led these as having no serious basis, which is why she was acquit­ted on four occa­sions (in 2006, 2008, 2011, and 2014).

In June 2022, without any new infor­ma­tion in the judi­cial file, the Supreme Court over­tur­ned the acquit­tal, making the life pri­son sen­tence enfor­ceable. For these rea­sons, which have no basis in fact, Pinar Selek has been tar­ge­ted because of her socio­lo­gi­cal research, lite­ra­ry works, and stance in favor of the Kur­dish and Arme­nian mino­ri­ties, femi­nist move­ments, Tur­kish LGTB+ mino­ri­ties, and, more broad­ly, demo­cra­cy in Tur­key.

Once again, she risks a life sen­tence. She has been asked to attend the trial in per­son, which is inad­vi­sable as she would face imme­diate impri­son­ment due to an arrest war­rant issued against her by Tur­kish judi­cial autho­ri­ties in Janua­ry 2023.

The Inter­na­tio­nal Socio­lo­gi­cal Asso­cia­tion and the French Socio­lo­gi­cal Asso­cia­tion express their dee­pest concern about the poli­ti­cal and judi­cial harass­ment of Prof. Pinar Selek which has been going on for 26 years.

Judi­cial harass­ment for such a long per­iod is exhaus­ting. Howe­ver, during these 26 years, Dr. Pinar Selek has found the ener­gy to conti­nue her research and to publish nume­rous articles and books that contri­bute to a bet­ter unders­tan­ding of contem­po­ra­ry French and Tur­kish socie­ties. The suc­ces­sive legal pro­cesses and ongoing harass­ment have only streng­the­ned inter­na­tio­nal soli­da­ri­ty and the demand for jus­tice. Dr. Selek deserves the aca­de­mic free­dom to pur­sue her acti­vi­ties as a scho­lar, pro­fes­sor, resear­cher, and wri­ter in a safe and demo­cra­tic envi­ron­ment.

This most recent poli­ti­cal trial for ter­ro­rism consti­tutes an extreme form of attack on her free­dom of expres­sion and aca­de­mic free­dom. Beyond Dr. Pinar Selek’s per­so­nal plight, this epi­sode is indi­ca­tive of the repres­sion to which aca­de­mics are increa­sin­gly being sub­jec­ted and of the threats to free­dom of research and expres­sion in Tur­key and a gro­wing num­ber of other coun­tries.

Dr. Pinar Selek has become a sym­bol of the attack on the free­doms to think, research, express one­self and write in Tur­key. The very foun­da­tions of demo­cra­cy are at stake. Our asso­cia­tions call on the French govern­ment to affirm its full sup­port for our col­league Pro­fes­sor Pinar Selek and to main­tain its refu­sal to extra­dite her and its com­mit­ment to ensure her pro­tec­tion. We ask the French, Euro­pean, and inter­na­tio­nal autho­ri­ties to call on the Tur­kish govern­ment to stop this judi­cial harass­ment and to res­pect the free­dom of research and opi­nion.

We call on all demo­cra­tic govern­ments to express their refu­sal to enforce the inter­na­tio­nal arrest war­rant and to allow Dr. Pinar Selek to move free­ly within the Euro­pean Union.

The Inter­na­tio­nal Socio­lo­gi­cal Asso­cia­tion and the French Socio­lo­gi­cal Asso­cia­tion will stand by Pinar Selek and attend the trial hea­ring on June 28, 2024, toge­ther with a large inter­na­tio­nal dele­ga­tion of elec­ted repre­sen­ta­tives, lawyers, aca­de­mics, resear­chers, artists, and citi­zens who are cal­ling for an end to this judi­cial harass­ment and for Dr. Pinar Selek to be acquit­ted of all charges so that she can regain her full free­dom of move­ment, action and research in Tur­key, France and whe­re­ver her research and life will take her.

More infor­ma­tion about the inter­na­tio­nal sup­port cam­pai­gn for Pinar Selek and the mobi­li­za­tions plan­ned on June 28, 2024, is avai­lable at https://www.helloasso.com/associations/karinca/formulaires/1

• Sta­te­ment in English