In the wake of the atrocious bomb attack in Ankara on October 10th that killed over a hundred demonstrators for peace, we, the undersigned academics and scholars, call on the Turkish government to account for these events, and on all governments to reconsider their relations with the Turkish government.
We believe that serious claims alleging the complicity of state agents in the perpetration of the Ankara massacre must be investigated by independent commissions, preferably under the aegis of the United Nations. All bi- and multi-lateral agreements with Turkey should be made conditional upon demonstrable efforts to end the intimidation, harassment, and murder of those who defend their basic rights.
We call for international solidarity with the peoples of Turkey who resist authoritarian and illegitimate rule. The deployment of extra-judicial means to subjugate the Kurdish population and silence opposition cannot be condoned or accepted as a political necessity, regardless of the pretext. The demonstration in Ankara was intended to call upon the Turkish government to resume the peace talks with the Kurds that it called off in Spring of 2015.
We call for the protection of civilian lives, guarantees of freedom of assembly and free and open elections, unhampered by violence or coercion. Achieving substantial peace within Turkey and in the Middle East depends upon a thorough revision of war policies by all governments contracted with the Turkish regime and a genuine commitment to the de-escalation of militarization, including the cancellation of arms deals that support the violent suppression of democracy.
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