By Vivek Thiagarajan
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Middle East

Professor Atilla Yayla was arrested for his insulting remarks about Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.  Yayla is the head of the Association of Liberal Thinking at Gazi University in Ankara.  Yayla remarked in a speech in 2006 that Atatürk was not as progressively minded as official Turkish history portrays.  Instead, Yayla argued that Atatürk’s one party system may have been “regressive in some aspects.”  (Guardian Unlimited- Turkey jails academic for insulting Ataturk)  Yayla was immediately fired concerning the court case about the remark, but was later reinstated by Gazi University.  (Guardian Unlimited- Turkish academic warns of governmental clampdown)

Yayla was given a 15 month sentence for his insulting remarks.  He was prosecuted under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, which prohibits insulting Turkishness.

Yayla commented that the decision would make it difficult for him to practice his profession and engage in serious dialogue regarding Turkish history.  “After this I should maybe talk about birds and trees, but not about political ideologies or freedoms in Turkey or human rights,” he said to EducationGuardian.co.uk.  (Guardian Unlimited- Turkish academic warns of governmental clampdown)

Turkey must encourage serious discussion regarding its founding.  Otherwise, the precedent could be further extended and allow the government to prosecute anyone that criticizes the current government and its abuses.  The disincentive to journalists could prevent serious government abuses from being exposed to the media, which may enable impunity to remain undiscovered.

For more information, please see:

Associated Press- Professor Convicted for Insulting Atatürk- 28 January 2008

Guardian Unlimited- Turkey jails academic for insulting Atatürk– 28 January 2008

Guardian Unlimited- Turkish academic warns of governmental clampdown- 29 January2008