DERSIM, Turkey (A.W.)—Prof. Candan Badem from the Department of History at Tunceli University has been arrested for having a book by Fetullah Gülen in his office.
Badem speaking in front of a poster calling for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide
“The presence of the book in Candan Badem’s office is declared as constituting an element of crime in relation to ‘the attempt for a coup d’état,’” read a declaration issued by Academics for Peace.
Badem is a Marxist historian studying the Ottoman-Russian wars in the 19th and 20th centuries and Ottoman-Russian borderlands with a focus on the South Caucasus. He is also interested in Soviet history and post-Soviet studies. He is also the author of several articles pertaining to Armenian history in the 19th and 20 century.
Below is the full text of the statement.
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Dear colleagues,
We have just heard that Associate Professor Candan Badem (Department of History, Tunceli University) was taken into custody. Earlier, he was suspended from his post without official notification or justification. The reason for his detainment is a book by Fetullah Gülen, found in his office. The presence of the book in Candan Badem’s office is declared as constituting an element of crime in relation to “the attempt for a coup d’état”.
We are informed that Candan Badem will remain in custody tonight and tomorrow; he will be taken to the prosecutor’s office for interrogation. We find it totally illogical and unlawful to claim that a book in an academic’s library is “an element of crime”. It is also unacceptable that academics are being taken into custody without any reasonable grounds.
We started a twitter campaign to call for public support for Candan Badem. Our hashtags are #candanbademserbestbirakilsin and #freecandanbadem. We kindly ask you to join our campaign using the hashtags, spread the word worldwide and be in solidarity with an Academic for Peace,Candan Badem. We stand with Candan Badem, and demand his urgent release.
In solidarity,
Academics for Peace”
Source: Armenian Weekly
Link: Marxist Historian in Dersim Arrested for Owning Gulen Book