In the wake of the political protests that have gripped Turkey, Noam Chomsky, Susan Sarandon Hanif Kureishi and others pen an open letter to the country’s prime minister
We, citizens of the world, are deeply saddened and concerned by the severe violence against citizens of Turkey by the Turkish police over the last couple of days in Turkish cities including Istanbul. We ask the prime minister of Turkey and his government why he allowed for the violence to begin in the first place against peaceful protesters who are simply asking for freedom of speech and for their rights to be heard. We ask the government why it is not following the most important rule of democracy: the right to have freedom of expression?
Why did Turkish media not report the violence and devastating attacks by the police? Can the Turkish government truly guarantee that all violent acts against its people will stop immediately? Thousands have been seriously injured, many have lost their eyes, some have lost their lives. As families all over the country are in shock and mourning, what is the next step for the government? Are they finally willing to listen to its people? We are waiting for the government to pay serious attention to the reasons behind its citizens’ protests.
Signatories:
Pablo Ganguli, Liberatum founder
Professor Noam Chomsky, MIT Professor Emeritus of Linguistics
Hanif Kureishi, author, playwright and screenwriter
Asia Argento, actress, singer and filmmaker
Terry Gilliam, filmmaker and screenwriter
Paul Schrader, screenwriter and filmmaker
Mathieu Kassovitz, filmmaker, screenwriter and actor
Bianca Jagger, Founder and Chair, of The Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation
Susan Sarandon, actress and activist
