Signatories of the ‘We Defend Secularism Together’ statement summoned for questioning
Some of the signatories of the ‘We Defend Secularism Together’ statement, published in response to increasing threats and attacks against secularism, have been summoned by the police for questioning.
Signatories of the statement ‘We defend secularism together,’ targeted by the government, have begun to be summoned for questioning.
Among the signatories, 90-year-old leading Marxist economist Prof. Dr. Korkut Boratav, poet Ahmet Telli, Left Party spokesperson İlknur Başer, journalist İsmail Arı and KESK Executive Board member Bahadır Bedircioğlu were contacted today by the Ankara Police Department and invited to give statements regarding the declaration. It has been learned that the investigation is being conducted on the grounds of “inciting the public to hatred and hostility”.
The regime reacted harshly to the statement, which was signed by 168 people, and Education Minister Yusuf Tekin filed a criminal complaint.
As part of the investigation, some of those who signed the statement were summoned for questioning.
The lawyers of some of the signatories summoned to the police station for questioning informed the police that they would give their statements to the prosecutor's office.
WHAT HAS HAPPENED?
Following attacks by some groups supporting Sharia law against Left Party members and their buildings, 168 individuals, including writers, academics and journalists, signed a statement titled ‘We defend secularism together’. The statement noted that attacks against those defending secularism were being ignored, stating, "Defending secularism is not a crime. We defend secularism together, we reject Sharia impositions! We will not surrender to darkness!"
First targeted by AKP President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the statement was also linked by Education Minister Yusuf Tekin to the Ramadan circular sent to schools. Tekin said in a statement at the AKP parliamentary group meeting on Wednesday that they had filed a lawsuit against the signatories.
Note: This article is translated from the original article titled “Laikliği birlikte savunuyoruz” açıklamasının imzacıları ifadeye çağrılıyor, published in BirGün newspaper on February 28, 2026.
