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Home » An Appeal  March 16th, 2008 Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge Justice Minister, Germany - Ms. Zypries Dear Sir/Madam We are writing with deep concern for the case of Kemal Kutan. It has come to our attention that he is currently facing both an asylum decision to remain in Germany, and an extradition case filed by the Turkish authorities under charges of High Treason. We are a group of social scientists, researchers, journalists and European citizens concerned with issues of international development, education and human rights and we are well aware of the precarious situation of human rights in Turkey. For this reason we are deeply concerned that if Kemal Kutan was deported the Turkish authorities would not be able to guarantee a free and fair trial. Furthermore, in relation to the seriousness of the accusations against Kemal Kutan and the rising nationalist fervour in Turkey, we are not convinced his safety, both physical and psychological, could be guaranteed - not only during the trial, but also prior to it, and afterwards. The recent brutal murder of Hrant Dink, the Armenian journalist and Human rights defender, and press revelations of the links between the assassination and members of the Turkish state force, has further demonstrated to us the fragility of democratic freedoms in Turkey and increased our concerns relating to the protection of human rights. Several of us have travelled to Turkey over a number of years and are well aware of the very weak democratic and human rights regime, which has led to state and state supported political violence, torture and disappearances of political dissidents over several decades. We are also very aware of the situation of Turkey’s Kurdish minority in Eastern Turkey, and the systematic undermining of the linguistic and cultural rights of the Kurdish population. It appears to us that in struggling against these injustices Kemal Kutan has suffered greatly during the last 30 years. He has been imprisoned, tortured and forced to live in hiding. When he came to Germany he was seeking an end to the fear and persecution that he had faced. While we fully understand that the German authorities have an international responsibility in these types of cases to comply with extradition requests, we are also conscious of its responsibility to uphold the rights of the citizens of any nation that are threatened by serious human rights violations if returned to their country of birth. In the current political conjuncture we believe that the dangers of sending Kemal Kutan back to Turkey are too great, and that he should be allowed to stay in Germany where his safety and fundamental human rights can be satisfactorily guaranteed. Yours faithfully, Dr Mario Novelli, University of Amsterdam Dr Antoni Verger, University of Amsterdam Professor Susan Robertson, University of Bristol Dr. Ludger Weckel, Institut für Theologie und Politik, Münster Drs Margriet Poppema, Universiteit van Amsterdam Pedro Rojo, Al Fanar, Morroco Dr. Charlotte Schmitz, freelance journalist, Frankfurt Dr. Andy Higginbottom, Kingston University, London Pastor Hans Gerhard Klatt, Forum Kirche, Bremen Mirjam Weiberg, Chair of International Politics, Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Rostock Prof. Dr. Klaus Sieveking, Universität Bremen |
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