We strongly condemn those who attempted a coup d’etat on July 15th. They staged an armed and bloody attack against the Parliament of our Republic of Turkey established thanks to the leadership of Atatürk.
We once again emphasize that the principle of secularism, respecting the Constitution and laws as well as the separation of powers are vital for a true democracy and peace. We think that using mosques for political gain is a dangerous mistake. We demand that the provocative announcements that might divide the nation into enemy camps be stopped immediately; they might lead to clashes between siblings, the police, army and civilians.
For a true victory of democracy, we invite everybody to act with reason and wisdom –being conscious of the necessity of equality as well as freedom of thought and expression. Be it military or civilian, all coups lead to more terror, oppression, to further disintegration and more loss of blood. We commemorate the deceased, we wish recovery to the wounded and patience to all families.
PEN Turkey Centre 16 July 2016
* We sent this declaration to PEN International asking them to share it with all member centers. We received this answer:
PEN International:
"Thanks also for sharing PEN Turkey's statement. Unfortunately, as PEN International doesn't take a position in secularism, so we won't be able to share the statement on our website this time."
Our Declaration for Citizens*
We strongly condemn those who attempted a coup d’etat on July 15th. They staged an armed and bloody attack against the Parliament of our Republic of Turkey established thanks to the leadership of Atatürk.
We once again emphasize that the principle of secularism, respecting the Constitution and laws as well as the separation of powers are vital for a true democracy and peace. We think that using mosques for political gain is a dangerous mistake. We demand that the provocative announcements that might divide the nation into enemy camps be stopped immediately; they might lead to clashes between siblings, the police, army and civilians.
For a true victory of democracy, we invite everybody to act with reason and wisdom –being conscious of the necessity of equality as well as freedom of thought and expression. Be it military or civilian, all coups lead to more terror, oppression, to further disintegration and more loss of blood. We commemorate the deceased, we wish recovery to the wounded and patience to all families.
PEN Turkey Centre 16 July 2016
* We sent this declaration to PEN International asking them to share it with all member centers. We received this answer:
PEN International:
"Thanks also for sharing PEN Turkey's statement. Unfortunately, as PEN International doesn't take a position in secularism, so we won't be able to share the statement on our website this time."