114 lecturers at the prestigious Bosphorus University  (Istanbul) have condemned the trial of Prof. Dr. Baskin Oran and Prof. Dr. Ibrahim Kaboglu, the authors of the Minority Rights Report. The lecturers emphasise that the report "does not contain any elements of violence", as was claimed in the justification for the trial.

"We view Kaboglu and Oran's trial under Articles 301 and 216 as a restriction of academic freedom."

The joint declaration states that the trial is proof that "in practice, there is no freedom of expression in Turkey."

The declaration was signed by:

Prof.Dr. Fikret Adaman, Prof.Dr. Lale Akarun, Associate Prof. Dr. Yavuz Akpinar, Assistant Prof. Dr. Zühre Aksoy, Associate Prof. Dr. Deniz Albayrak-Kaymak, Associate Prof. Dr. Ercan I. Alp, Prof.Dr. Emre C. Alper, Prof.Dr. I. Kuban Altinel, Lecturer Fatma Ang, Prof.Dr. Yesim Arat, Assistant Prof. Dr. Pinar Ardic, Lecturer Arsin Arsik , Lecturer Dr. Ceyda Arslan, Prof.Dr. Viktorya Aviyente, Associate Prof. Dr. Isik Aytac , Lecturer Dr. Sebnem Bahadir, Prof.Dr. Yaman Barlas, Prof.Dr. Cem Behar, Assistant Prof. Dr. Aysen Candas Bilgen, Associate Prof. Dr. Taner Bilgic, Prof.Dr. Nese Bilgin, Lecturer Dr. Haluk Bingöl, Prof.Dr. Faruk Birtek, Prof.Dr. Ayse Buğra, Assistant Prof. Dr. Koray Caliskan, Prof.Dr. Resit Canbeyli, Assistant Prof. Dr. Ayfer Bartu Candan, Assistant Prof. Dr. Deniz Tarba Ceylan, LecturerDr. Sakine Cil, Assistant Prof. Dr. Dilek Cinar, Lecturer Dilek Demirci, Assistant Prof. Dr. Meral Demirel, LecturerDr. Dilek Dizdar, Prof.Dr. Dilek Doltas, Prof.Dr. Alp Eden, Prof.Dr. Mine Eder, Prof.Dr. Edhem Eldem, Associate Prof. Dr. Asli Sencer Erdem, Assistant Prof. Dr. Ahmet Ersoy, Assistant Prof. Dr. Nuri Ersoy, Assistant Prof. Dr. Burcay Erus, Prof.Dr. Nüket Esen, Prof.Dr. Güler Fisek, Prof.Dr. Hamit Fisek, Assistant Prof. Dr.Zeynep Gambetti, Lecturer Cüneyt Argun Genc, Prof.Dr. Fatma Gök, Associate Prof. Dr. Asli Göksel, Assistant Prof. Dr. Lamia Gülcur, Lecturer Cumhur Güldemir, Prof.Dr. Refik Güllü, Assistant Prof. Dr. Murat Gülsoy, Lecturer Bahar Güner, Prof.Dr. Belkis Halfon, Assistant Prof. Dr. Ayfer Hortacsu, Prof.Dr. İlhan İnan, Assistant Prof. Dr. Kivanc İnelmen, Prof.Dr. Gürol İrzik, Assistant Prof. Dr. Ciğdem Kafescioğlu, Assistant Prof. Dr. İsmail Kaplan, Associate Prof. Dr. Asim Karaömerlioğlu, Associate Prof. Dr. Ali Kaya, Assistant Prof. Dr. Vangelis Kechriotis, Lecturer Yasemin Keskiner, Prof.Dr. Cağlar Keyder, Associate Prof. Dr. Berna Kilinc, Prof.Dr. Betül Kirdar, Prof.Dr. Kemal Kirisci, Assistant Prof. Dr. Biray Kolluoğlu Kirli, Assistant Prof. Dr. Cengiz Kirli, Assistant Prof. Dr. Erol Köroğlu, Associate Prof. Dr. Gün Kut, Assistant Prof. Dr. Serra Müderrisoğlu, Associate Prof. Dr. Ayse Mumcu, Yrd. Associate Prof.  Dr. Esra Mungan, Prof.Dr. Nevra Necipoğlu, Lecturer Sema Öğünlü, Assistant Prof. Dr. Özlem Öğüt, Prof.Dr. Rifat Okcabol, Lecturer Diler Öner, Prof.Dr. İlhan Or, Lecturer Nejla Osserian, Assistant Prof. Dr. Özlem Öz, Associate Prof. Dr. Semsa Özar, Prof.Dr. Ferhunde Özbay, Associate Prof. Dr. Nadir Özbek, Assistant Prof. Dr. Begüm Özkaynak, Assistant Prof. Dr. Nesrin Özören, Associate Prof. Dr. Arzu Öztürkmen, Associate Prof. Dr.Asli Özyar, Prof.Dr. Sevgin Akis Roney, Associate Prof. Dr. Zeynep Sabuncu, Associate Prof. Dr. Sema Sakarya, Associate Prof. Dr. Müge Sayar, Associate Prof. Dr. Ali Kerem Saysel, Prof.Dr. Alpar Sevgen, Prof.Dr. Cevza Sevgen, Assistant Prof. Dr. Yildiz Silier, Prof.Dr. Nüket Sirman, Associate Prof. Dr. Sehnaz Tahir, Prof.Dr. Betül Tanbay, Assistant Prof. Dr. Sibel Tatar, Yrd.DocDr. Derin Terzioğlu, Prof.Dr. Aysegül Toker, Assistant Prof. Dr. Meltem Toksöz, Prof.Dr. Binnaz Toprak, Lecturer Fatma Türe, Prof.Dr. Nermin Abadan Unat, Assistant Prof. Dr. Zeynep Uysal, Assistant Prof. Dr. Zafer Yenal, Assistant Prof. Dr. Senem Yildiz, Associate Prof. Dr. Hakan Yilmaz, Assistant Prof. Dr. Pinar Yolum, Associate Prof. Dr. Ünal Zenginobuz. (EÖ/NZ)