On Friday, June 28, 2024, a new stage in the trial of Pinar Selek, a Turkish researcher exiled in France, took place in Istanbul. The judgment was postponed to a later session and is expected to take place on February 7, 2025. Here’s a summary of the situation.
Sociologist, writer, activist, and also a lecturer at Université Côte d’Azur, Pinar Selek was born in 1971 in Istanbul. Her interest in social justice and human rights issues led her to study sociology. During her university years, she began to focus on sensitive topics and themes that would shape her career, notably marked by academic research, activism, and above all, legal battles.
The Spice Bazaar Incident
July 9, 1998, marks a turning point in Pinar Selek‘s life. An explosion at the Spice Bazaar in Istanbul resulted in seven deaths and about a hundred injuries. Two days later, Pinar Selek was arrested and accused of complicity in this attack.
However, human rights defenders and international organizations believe that the charges are politically motivated due to her work on sensitive subjects, particularly as she defends minority rights.
For two years, Pinar Selek was detained and subjected to torture to force her to confess to acts she denies committing. In 2000, she was released, but the charges were not dropped. In 2006, she was acquitted for the first time. However, the prosecutor appealed, and the trial was reopened. In 2008 and 2011, she was acquitted again, but the authorities persisted.
Each acquittal was annulled, restarting the legal proceedings.
Unwavering Support
In 2013, Pinar Selek was sentenced to life imprisonment. This decision came while she was living in exile in France. In 2014, the sentence was annulled, and Pinar Selek was acquitted for the fourth time. In 2017, France granted her nationality.
Université Côte d’Azur supported Pinar Selek through the Pause program in connection with the French College. Thus, she was appointed as a lecturer. In January 2023, the Turkish court sentenced her once more to life imprisonment with immediate incarceration, accompanied by an international arrest warrant.
On Friday, June 28, Pinar Selek’s 5th trial took place in Istanbul. The judgment was postponed to a later session, expected to be held on February 7, 2025. The hearing confirmed the judicial harassment against the sociologist.
