Over 1,120 Turkis­h and also foreig­n academ­ics signed the petiti­on which denoun­ced action­s of Turkey's milita­ryISTANBUL: Turkey on Tuesday began a hugely controversial trial against a group of academics charged with terror offences for signing a petition almost two years ago calling for peace in the Kurdish-dominated southeast. Over 1,120 Turkish and also foreign academics initially signed the petition which denounced the actions of Turkey’s military in the southeast where deadly clashes had erupted with outlawed Kurdish militants in 2015. The academics say they were merely making an apolitical call for peace but prosecutors charged 146 of the signatories with making propaganda for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Turkey arrests IS suspects in nationwide raidsThe first 10 academics charged – from Istanbul University and Galatasaray University – went on trial Tuesday in Istanbul. In the first hearings, a defence lawyer argued that their petition is “within boundaries of freedom of expression” and demanded their acquittal.

Source: The Express Tribune December 05, 2017 11:37 UTC