TWO TURKISH INTELLECTUALS ARRESTED

States News Service
November 1, 2011 Tuesday

The following information was released by Freedom House:

Turkish professor Busra Ersanli and publisher and human rights
activist Ragip Zarakolu were arrested on October 28 as part of a
government operation against the Kurdish Communities Union (KCK),
an organization banned by the Turkish government for its alleged
connections to the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK). The crackdown on
pro-Kurdish groups comes in response to the recent terrorist attacks
in Ankara and southeastern Turkey, as well as subsequent clashes
between the army and Kurdish rebels. Zarakolus sonDeniz Zarakolu,
a PhD student at Bilgi Universitywas also arrested in early October.

The government has increasingly restricted academic freedom on subjects
related to the Kurds, and self-censorship of sensitive topicsincluding
the Armenian genocideis also common.

Freedom House calls for a swift and transparent investigation into
the circumstances surrounding Ersanli and Zarakolus arrest.

From: Baghdasarian