The academic, writer and journalist is held in custody by the Turkish authorities together with other political prisoners.
Noam Chomsky, a prominent philosopher, linguist and social critic, joined the campaign to release Sedat Laçiner. He is among scientists, judges, lawyers, journalists and academics who have been held in custody after the failed coup attempt in Turkey last July. A number of musicians and artists, including Nûdem Durak, Zehra Doğan and Atilla Taş, remain behind bars as well.
Sedat Laçiner has been held without trial or access to a lawyer. “I have no idea when I could see a judge. My life and my family are under deathly risks,” he wrote from prison.
Sedat Laçiner specialises on Turkey’s foreign policy and the Middle East. He received his master’s degree from the University of Sheffield and doctorate from King's College London. Laçiner is the author of 26 books and numerous articles on international security and combating terrorism in Turkey.
Professor Noam Chomsky sent an appeal to Turkish president Recep Erdogan, the country’s prime minister Binali Yıldırım and justice minister Bekir Bozdağ, calling on them to respect the Constitution and international law. He stresses that the right to freedom of expression is protected by such international agreements as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, to which Turkey is a party.
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