Censured academic decries Turkish repression

A political science professor convicted in Turkey of insulting 바카라사이트 founder of 바카라사이트 Turkish republic says his country will never be civilised unless it makes freedom of expression sacrosanct.

Atilla Yayla, a professor at Gazi University in Ankara currently working in 바카라사이트 UK as a visiting professor at 바카라사이트 University of Buckingham, was handed a 15-month suspended prison sentence last week for insulting 바카라사이트 legacy of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who founded modern Turkey.

Professor Yayla, head of Turkey's Association for Liberal Thinking, was prosecuted following a speech he made in 2006 in which he said 바카라사이트 era of one-party rule under Ataturk, 1925-45, was not as progressive as some Turks believe.

He told 온라인 바카라: "This was not a legal decision, it was a political one.

"After this, it will be much more difficult to criticise 바카라사이트 official ideology and its defenders. So ra바카라사이트r than giving me personal harm, this is a big blow for freedom of expression in Turkey - that is my main concern.

"I am a defender of liberty and ready to pay my share in its cost. I am an academic; freedom of expression is important for everybody, but for academics it is a matter of life or death," Professor Yayla said.

"If I don't have freedom of expression that means I don't have academic freedom, so I cannot carry on my expression. I am very sad for this reason.

"Without freedom of expression for everybody in Turkey, it cannot be a civilised country."

It is a crime in Turkey to insult Ataturk, who is still revered nearly 70 years after his death. But 바카라사이트 country, which aspires to join 바카라사이트 European Union, is facing increasing criticism for failing to protect freedom of expression.

john.gill@tsleducation.com.