American Historical Association protests Turkey’s crackdown on historians and other academics who signed a a petition critical of the Turkish government

AHA president Patrick Manning sent a letter urging President Erdogan of Turkey to respect the academic freedom and freedom of expression of historians and other scholars in his country. This statement comes in light of reports that Turkish academics face dismissal, detention, and criminal investigation for signing a petition critical of the Turkish government. These actions, if true, violate the principles of scholarly integrity that are at the heart of the AHA’s mission. The AHA letter echoes the concerns of over 20 other scholarly associations part of the Scholars at Risk network, which also issued a joint letter in January.