Press Release and Open Letter: Nobel Laureates Condemn Turkish Government’s Treatment of Protesters and Doctors

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Jul 22, 2013 Turkey
[Deployed police on Istiklal Street on 1 June 2013. Image by Carole Woodall.] [Deployed police on Istiklal Street on 1 June 2013. Image by Carole Woodall.]

Press Release and Open Letter: Nobel Laureates Condemn Turkish Government’s Treatment of Protesters and Doctors

By : Jadaliyya Reports

[The following press release was issued by several organization (listed below) in relation to a letter Nobel Laureates condeming the Turkish government`s treatment of protesters and doctors. The letter is reproduced below the press release.]

Press Release: Nobel Laureates Condemn Turkish Government’s Treatment of Protesters and Doctors 

New York City, July 18 - Several world-renown scientists have expressed their concerns over the excessive use of tear gas and police force in the recent protests in Turkey. In a correspondence to be published in Science on July 19, twenty-five scientists, including four Nobel laureates, urged the Turkish government to treat peaceful protesters according to international law. On Thursday, July 18, the Turkish Medical Association (TTB), Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), the Transnational Work Group on Academic Liberty and Freedom of Research in Turkey (GIT - North America) and the primary authors of the Science article will hold a press conference at the New School University in New York City in order to draw attention to ongoing human rights violations in Turkey.

Nobel laureates Robert F. Curl (in Chemistry, 1996), Paul Greengard (in Physiology or Medicine, 2000), Roald Hoffmann (in Chemistry, 1981) and Richard R. Schrock (in Chemistry, 2005) joined numerous other noted scientists to address the ongoing events in Turkey from a scientific perspective. They document how the Turkish government’s excessive and unlawful use of force against protesters and medical professionals has led to human casualties and injuries of unprecedented proportions. Such a correspondence among science and medical professionals is viewed as an indicator of the severity of human rights violations and the urgency to take action.

Triggered by the brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters on May 31, approximately 2.5 million people joined demonstrations in 79 out of 81 cities of Turkey according to government estimates. The Turkish government has responded to the mass protests with increasing use of tear gas and police violence, resulting in more injuries and casualties. According to latest data released by the Turkish Medical Association on July 15, 8163 people have so far been injured during these protests; of these 63 are severely wounded and three are in critical condition. 106 individuals have suffered head traumas. Eleven people have lost an eye and five have been killed.

Hospitals and makeshift infirmaries have also been targeted by the police with tear gas fired into confined spaces where the injured were being treated’. Medical supplies have been confiscated by the police and many health-care professionals have been taken into custody. The government has also put the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) under extensive pressure, especially through the arrest of the Secretary General of TTB-Istanbul, to conceal data regarding injuries and deaths during protests. Nevertheless, the TTB has remained the only reliable source concerning this information. In a clear breach of patient confidentiality, the Ministry of Health went as far as to demand patient information from medical facilities, including the names and health conditions of patients injured during the protests, and the identity of the healthcare workers who volunteered for these services. These unconstitutional demands by the government have prevented thousands of injured protesters from seeking much-needed medical attention due to the fear of blacklisting by the Erdogan administration.

The Turkish Medical Association has conducted a web-based survey with 11,115 participants to get a better understanding of the complications experienced by individuals exposed to chemical agents. This investigation revealed that the majority of individuals affected were women and young people between the ages of 20-29. Seven percent of all injuries resulted from direct and short-range firing of tear gas canisters at protesters, including shots to critical regions such as the face, head and chest. Approximately 68 percent of those affected by tear gas were exposed to extremely high levels, however only five percent of all individuals exposed to these chemical agents have sought treatment.

The Ministry of Interior and the Turkish National Police have been unresponsive to requests to disclose the types and constituents of chemicals used, even though such information is vital for the effective treatment of those affected. The Chamber of Chemical Engineers in Istanbul has recently carried out a study testing various types of tear gas on mice and reported the lethal concentration and dose of these chemical agents. Given the short-range and long-term exposure of protesters to these chemical agents, it is critical that their health is monitored on a continuous basis. Since the medical implications of uncontrolled and excessive exposure to chemical agents are under-investigated and potentially lethal, there is an urgent need to stop the use of these agents.

Various non-governmental organizations have repeatedly voiced concerns over the excessive use of force by the police as well as the unconstitutional actions of the government. The World Medical Association has supported these efforts through letters addressed to the Prime Minister, condemning the use of excessive force and chemical agents against the public. On July 1, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) sent a letter to the Minister of Health to express their deep concern over the ministry’s efforts to pass legislation that would prevent medical personnel from providing emergency care to anyone in need, including demonstrators. On July 12, PHR, the World Medical Association, German Medical Association and the Standing Committee of European Doctors sent a letter to the Turkish Prime Minister calling upon him and his government to end human rights violations including the use of tear gas and unlawful acts against medical personnel. In this letter, the international community is asked to ban the sale of tear gas to Turkey and ensure that policy decisions regarding human rights protections and respect for medical neutrality are guaranteed.

In the meantime, over 4,000 academics from around the world hailing from more than 500 academic institutions in about 70 countries have signed a declaration to condemn the excessive police brutality on peaceful demonstrators and have expressed their support for the free exercise of constitutional rights. The declaration prepared by ‘Solidarity with Gezi Boston Group: Bostonbullular’ and ‘The Transnational Work Group of Academic Liberty and Freedom of Research in Turkey (GIT-NA)’, condemns the immense violence practiced by the Turkish police that resulted in casualties and thousands of injured; the improper detention of the protesters who are using their constitutional rights; the violation of human rights during arrests; censorship in the mainstream media and the denigrating and marginalizing discourse of the government. The signatories emphasize that freedom of thought and expression, freedom of conscience and any other differences in nondiscriminatory opinions are essential in any democratic society.

As academics, scientists and intellectuals; we once again condemn the reckless and excessive use of force and chemical agents against peaceful demonstrators and health personnel in Turkey. We demand that the government immediately cease the use of these chemical agents against peaceful protesters to avoid further health problems and deaths.

Turkish Medical Association (TTB) is the organized voice of physicians in Turkey under the constitutional guarantee. %80 (83.000) of country’s physicians are members of TTB. Main income source of TTB is membership fees and it does not get any aid from government. TTB was founded to protect and improve the public health conditions in Turkey and advocates equal, accessible and high quality health care for everyone. TTB investigates malpractice cases in order to protect patient’s rights and professional ethics. TTB protects the morals and rights of profession and members. TTB is one of the founder members of Associations of Health Profession Groups (Turkish Dental Association, Turkish Pharmacists’ Association, Turkish Veterinary Medical Association). At the international level, TTB is the member of the forum that is comprised of World Medical Association, The Association for Medical Education in Europe and World Health Organization and participates in its meetings as an active member. See more on: http://www.ttb.org.tr/

Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) is an independent organization that uses medicine and science to stop mass atrocities and severe human rights violations. It was founded in 1986 on the idea that health professionals, with their specialized skills, ethical duties, and credible voices, are uniquely positioned to stop human rights violations. See more on: http://physiciansforhumanrights.org/

Transnational Work Group on Academic Liberty and Freedom of Research in Turkey (GIT North America) is composed of academics from Turkey living in the United States and aims to raise awareness and offer documentation on “Academic Liberty and Freedom of Research in Turkey.” (see more on: http://gitamerica.blogspot.com/)

Media Contact

 

Letter by : Turkey Must End Violent Response to Protests

The Turkish Medical Association (TTB) reported that 8121 people were officially admitted to hospitals resulting from police violence between 31 May and 26 June. This number includes 5 deaths, 61 life-threatening injuries, 104 head traumas, and 11 ophthalmic injuries, one of which led to loss of an eye due to shots of tear gas canisters from short range. Turkish police have used excessive amounts of tear gas (lachrymatory agents) in public and confined spaces such as hospitals or infirmaries, according to international media reports and the TTB. Such use of asphyxiating gases in confined spaces is not only extremely dangerous for public health, but also strictly limited by international agreements, such as the Geneva Protocol, to which Turkey is a signatory. Security forces have used 130,000 tear-gas cartridges in 20 days, and Turkey is planning to buy 100,000 new cartridges. Doctors and nurses treating patients affected by tear gas and other police brutality, as well as the Istanbul Medical Chamber General Secretary, have been apprehended by police, a clear violation of customary international and human rights law. More than 4000 academics around the world have already signed a petition to protest the police brutality. We call upon the Turkish government to obey international law in the treatment of protesters and those providing medical treatment to them, and to start a good-faith dialogue with the protest movement.

Signatories

  1. Emrah Altindis 
  2. M. Ali Alpar 
  3. Emre Aksay
  4. Jonathan Beckwith 
  5. Christian Bökel 
  6. Robert F. Curl
  7. Robert B. Darnell 
  8. Stephen J. Elledge 
  9. Burak Erman
  10. Jens Frahm 
  11. Stephen P. Goff 
  12. Paul Greengard
  13. Roald Hoffmann 
  14. Bayazit Ilhan 
  15. Jan Kaslin
  16. Steven M. Lipkin 
  17. Cornelia Poulopoulou 
  18. Erez Raz
  19. Mark A. Rubin 
  20. Mehmet Salturk 
  21. Richard R. Schrock
  22. Alain Trautmann 
  23. Derya Unutmaz 
  24. Harel Weinstein
  25. Caghan Kizil

 
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Past is Present: Settler Colonialism Matters!

On 5-6 March 2011, the Palestine Society at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London will hold its seventh annual conference, "Past is Present: Settler Colonialism in Palestine." This year`s conference aims to understand Zionism as a settler colonial project which has, for more than a century, subjected Palestine and Palestinians to a structural and violent form of destruction, dispossession, land appropriation and erasure in the pursuit of a new Jewish Israeli society. By organizing this conference, we hope to reclaim and revive the settler colonial paradigm and to outline its potential to inform and guide political strategy and mobilization.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is often described as unique and exceptional with little resemblance to other historical or ongoing colonial conflicts. Yet, for Zionism, like other settler colonial projects such as the British colonization of Ireland or European settlement of North America, South Africa or Australia, the imperative is to control the land and its resources -- and to displace the original inhabitants. Indeed, as conference keynote speaker Patrick Wolfe, one of the foremost scholars on settler colonialism and professor at La Trobe University in Victoria, Australia, argues, "the logic of this project, a sustained institutional tendency to eliminate the Indigenous population, informs a range of historical practices that might otherwise appear distinct--invasion is a structure not an event."[i]

Therefore, the classification of the Zionist movement as a settler colonial project, and the Israeli state as its manifestation, is not merely intended as a statement on the historical origins of Israel, nor as a rhetorical or polemical device. Rather, the aim is to highlight Zionism`s structural continuities and the ideology which informs Israeli policies and practices in Palestine and toward Palestinians everywhere. Thus, the Nakba -- whether viewed as a spontaneous, violent episode in war, or the implementation of a preconceived master plan -- should be understood as both the precondition for the creation of Israel and the logical outcome of Zionist settlement in Palestine.

Moreover, it is this same logic that sustains the continuation of the Nakba today. As remarked by Benny Morris, “had he [David Ben Gurion] carried out full expulsion--rather than partial--he would have stabilised the State of Israel for generations.”[ii] Yet, plagued by an “instability”--defined by the very existence of the Palestinian nation--Israel continues its daily state practices in its quest to fulfill Zionism’s logic to maximize the amount of land under its control with the minimum number of Palestinians on it. These practices take a painful array of manifestations: aerial and maritime bombardment, massacre and invasion, house demolitions, land theft, identity card confiscation, racist laws and loyalty tests, the wall, the siege on Gaza, cultural appropriation, and the dependence on willing (or unwilling) native collaboration and security arrangements, all with the continued support and backing of imperial power. 

Despite these enduring practices however, the settler colonial paradigm has largely fallen into disuse. As a paradigm, it once served as a primary ideological and political framework for all Palestinian political factions and trends, and informed the intellectual work of committed academics and revolutionary scholars, both Palestinians and Jews.

The conference thus asks where and why the settler colonial paradigm was lost, both in scholarship on Palestine and in politics; how do current analyses and theoretical trends that have arisen in its place address present and historical realities? While acknowledging the creativity of these new interpretations, we must nonetheless ask: when exactly did Palestinian natives find themselves in a "post-colonial" condition? When did the ongoing struggle over land become a "post-conflict" situation? When did Israel become a "post-Zionist" society? And when did the fortification of Palestinian ghettos and reservations become "state-building"?

In outlining settler colonialism as a central paradigm from which to understand Palestine, this conference re-invigorates it as a tool by which to analyze the present situation. In doing so, it contests solutions which accommodate Zionism, and more significantly, builds settler colonialism as a political analysis that can embolden and inform a strategy of active, mutual, and principled Palestinian alignment with the Arab struggle for self-determination, and indigenous struggles in the US, Latin America, Oceania, and elsewhere.

Such an alignment would expand the tools available to Palestinians and their solidarity movement, and reconnect the struggle to its own history of anti-colonial internationalism. At its core, this internationalism asserts that the Palestinian struggle against Zionist settler colonialism can only be won when it is embedded within, and empowered by, the broader Arab movement for emancipation and the indigenous, anti-racist and anti-colonial movement--from Arizona to Auckland.

SOAS Palestine Society invites everyone to join us at what promises to be a significant intervention in Palestine activism and scholarship.

For over 30 years, SOAS Palestine Society has heightened awareness and understanding of the Palestinian people, their rights, culture, and struggle for self-determination, amongst students, faculty, staff, and the broader public. SOAS Palestine society aims to continuously push the frontiers of discourse in an effort to make provocative arguments and to stimulate debate and organizing for justice in Palestine through relevant conferences, and events ranging from the intellectual and political impact of Edward Said`s life and work (2004), international law and the Palestine question (2005), the economy of Palestine and its occupation (2006), the one state (2007), 60 Years of Nakba, 60 Years of Resistance (2009), and most recently, the Left in Palestine (2010).

For more information on the SOAS Palestine Society 7th annual conference, Past is Present: Settler Colonialism in Palestine: www.soaspalsoc.org

SOAS Palestine Society Organizing Collective is a group of committed students that has undertaken to organize annual academic conferences on Palestine since 2003.

 

[i] Patrick Wolfe, Settler Colonialism and the Transformation of Anthropology: The Politics and Poetics of an Ethnographic Event, Cassell, London, p. 163

[ii] Interview with Benny Morris, Survival of the Fittest, Haaretz, 9. January 2004, http://cosmos.ucc.ie/cs1064/jabowen/IPSC/php/art.php?aid=5412