Press release on the news in Turkish media concerning our conference of Kurdish doctors and allied professions
On 16 January 2021, as the Kurdish Academics Network, we will organise a conference titled ‘Kurdish Doctors and Allied Professions ’. At the conference, in addition to Covid-19, we will discuss healthcare systems in Kurdistan, problems specific to the diaspora and humanitarian aid.
On 5 December, the Turkish press brought the conference onto the agenda with the familiar terrorism charges. At the centre of the news reports, in addition to our association as the organising institution, Dr Halis Yerlikaya, a specialist doctor and a member of the Central Council of the Turkish Medical Association, has also been named. The Medical Association has long been the target of the Erdoğan-led AKP-MHP coalition because of its criticism of the government’s pandemic strategy, which is also criticised by the World Health Organisation, and its anti-war stance. Following the Medical Association’s statement against the Turkish military operations in Afrin / Northern Syria titled ‘War is a public health problem’, eleven members of its central council were detained and sentenced to at least one year and eight months in prison. On 20 November, the Honorary Board member of the Medical Association, Dr Şeyhmus Gökalp, was detained and has already been arrested on terror charges.
In Turkey, it is well known that the terrorist label is used against any critical voices. We strongly condemn these slanderous accusations. As Kurd-Akad, we feel it is our duty to bring health and health policy issues to the agenda – especially during a pandemic.
As Network of Kurdish Academics our declared aim is to link the Kurdish academics.
Through this pooling of various professions and skills we aim not only to present a forum for the exchange of academics but also to create a synergy effect for the Kurdish community, as it is important to give utterance to social, cultural and political issues of Kurds at academic level both in Kurdistan and Europe.
Beside empowerment of representation of the interest of the Kurdish community the further development of scientific debate regarding Kurdish issues constitutes an important pillar of our work. Considering education as the highest good of a society and the key to a self-determined life, we consider it a necessity to promote the educational potential within the Kurdish community.
Cooperation with other organisations and institutions in the spirit of networking is an important component for the sustainable consolidation of our work. These include the EU Turkey Civic Commission EUTCC, the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, the Heinrich Böll Foundation, the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future, the Human Rights Association Turkey-Germany, the University of Duisburg-Essen, the University of Bochum, the University of Emden/Leer and the University of Munich. In the context of a conference in the European Parliament, there was cooperation with the Social Democratic, Green and Left parliamentary groups.
You can find detailed information about our work at www.kurd-akad.com.
Executive board