Charges against Turkish academic dropped after ICN campaign

Rebecca Tinsley
Nov 22nd, 2019

Professor Baskaya - image: bianet

On Tuesday, ICN reported on Fikret Baskaya, a 79-year-old academic who faced trial under Turkey's Anti-Terrorism Law . Following the article,* readers lobbied the Turkish foreign ministry on behalf of Professor Baskaya; and Lord Alton, among others, urged the British embassy in Ankara to send an observer to the trial on November 22nd.

Pen International reports that the presence of foreign officials and observers had the desired effect, and the charges against Baskaya have been dropped. Baskaya has been imprisoned several times for writing about the rights of Turkey's Kurdish minority, and the Armenian genocide. While he has never advocated violence, he has been outspoken in defence of free speech and the importance of civil society.

*ICN 19 November 2019 - www.indcatholicnews.com/news/38335

A further report about the trial and the charges against the professor can be found here:

http://bianet.org/english/law/216191-writer-and-academic-fikret-baskaya-acquitted

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