Testimony process continues for secularism advocates

Following a criminal complaint by the Ministry of National Education, which claimed that the statement signed by 168 people and shared with the public on February 17 was “directed at the Ramadan circular,” an investigation was launched into the individuals who signed the statement.

Within the scope of the investigation initiated in Ankara, signatories residing in Ankara were the first to provide testimony, followed by those residing in Istanbul who were then summoned. Among the intellectuals who were signatories, Melike Demirağ gave her testimony in Bodrum the day before yesterday.

Following the testimony of 12 signatories in Istanbul yesterday, 11 more individuals provided their statements today.

Atilla Özsever, Alper Taş, Serkan Öngel, Fahrettin Erdoğan, Onur Alp Yılmaz, Ali Yalçıner, Ayşegül Yalçıner, Hilmi Hacaloğlu, Elif Akkaya, and Timur Soykan gave their statements at the Anadolu Courthouse. Ozan Çoban completed his testimony process at the Şişli Police Department.

In the testimonies, it was emphasized that defending secularism is not a crime, stating, “In this respect, contrary to the alleged charge of ‘inciting the public to hatred and hostility,’ the principle of secularism serves a function that prevents religion and belief-based distinctions from turning into hatred and hostility.”

The testimony process in Istanbul will continue next week.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Against threats directed at secularism, 168 writers, artists, academics, journalists, and professional chamber representatives—including names such as Korkut Boratav, Taner Timur, Cem Eroğul, Alaeddin Şenel, Oğuzhan Müftüoğlu, Hayri Kozanoğlu, İlhan Cihaner, Müjde Ar, Ayşe Kulin, Ahmet Telli, Melike Demirağ, Rutkay Aziz, İlkay Akkaya, Şükrü Erbaş, Onur Akın, Şenal Sarıhan, Emin Koramaz, Canan Güllü, Ahmet Karagöz, and Timur Soykan—penned a text titled “We Defend Secularism Together.”

In the text, reacting to recent attacks on secularism, it was emphasized that “Defending secularism is not a crime. We are defending secularism together, we reject Sharia-based impositions!”

Following the publication of the text on February 17 with the signatures of the initial signatories, tens of thousands of citizens later signed it online.

The statement was targeted by government spokespeople, primarily AKP President Erdoğan. One of the individuals most disturbed by the statement was Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin.

The Ministry of National Education (MEB), which linked the “We Defend Secularism Together” text to the Ramadan circular sent to schools, filed a criminal complaint with the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on charges of “inciting the public to hatred and hostility,” “publicly disseminating misleading information to the public,” “insulting state institutions,” and “insulting public officials due to their duties.”

Upon this criminal complaint, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation into the declaration on February 28. Signatories were first summoned to testify in Ankara. Many signatories, including Marxist economics professor Korkut Boratav, provided their statements.

BirGün reporter İsmail Arı, who was arrested on March 22 due to his reporting and sent to Sincan Prison, was also among those who gave testimony in Ankara due to his signature on the text.

Following the completion of testimonies in Ankara, signatories in Istanbul also began to be summoned for testimony in recent days.