A respected teacher and treasured constitution law specialst, Professor Tanor has written a report on "Raising the Standards of Democracy in Turkey" for the Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD) and been paid a royalty.
Article 36 of the Higher Education Law clearly permits faculty to earn royalties; and the initiative to castigate Professor Tanor for this reason ignores the law... This unlawful act is intentional... Turkish law students still need him...
We have learned that the President of the Istanbul University
has asked the Higher Education Board, the overseeing authority, to discipline Professor Bulent Tanor by expelling him from his tenured position at the University. A respected teacher and treasured lawyer, Professor Tanor has written a report on "Raising the Standards of Democracy in Turkey" for
the Turkish Businessmen and Association (TUSIAD) and been paid a royalty. Article 36 of the Higher Education Law clearly permits faculty to earn royalties; and the initiative to castigate Professor Tanor for this reason ignores the law.
This unlawful act is intentional. Hundreds of University members write similar reports for royalties. The movement to single out Prof. Tanor and punish him is not only unjust, it also represents a very dangerous development regarding democratization of the country and is a harmful step against scientific and intellectual independence in Turkey.
We, the undersigned, support and stand by Professor Tanor!
____________________
Turkish translation:
Ulkemizin en degerli ve en saygın hukukcularından Prof. Dr. Bulent
TANOR'un, Istanbul Universitesi Rektörü tarafından üniversite öğretim
üyeliği mesleginden cikarma cezası istemiyle Yüksek Ogretim Kuruluna
sevkedilmesini derin bir uzuntuyle karsiliyoruz. Tanor, TUSIAD'a
"Demokratik Standartların Yukseltilmesi" konulu bir kitap hazırlamis ve
telif ucreti almistir. YOK kanunundaki 36. maddenin ogretim uyelerine
telif hakkı karsiligi calısmalar yapma iznini acik olarak vermesine
karsin, yasa maddesi bilincli bir sekilde gozardı edilerek Tanor'e ceza
verilmek istenilmesi keyfi ve kasitlidir. Nitekim universitelerimizde
yuzlerce hoca cesitli kuruluslar icin cok farkli konularda Bulent
Tanor'un hazırladigi turde calismalari telif ucreti karsiliginda
hazirlamislardir, hazirlamaktadirlar. Tanör'e meslekten cikarma
cezasının verilmesini nesnel ve adil bulmuyoruz; bu durumu ülkemizin
hukuku, bilim hayatı, demokrasisi ve üniversiteleri açısından vahim
bir olay olarak niteliyoruz. Değerli hocamizin yanında oldugumuzu
kamuoyuna duyurmayi gorev sayiyoruz.
