The Independent Journalism Platform (P24) has launched an online petition titled “Release Altans and all arrested writers” for the journalists and writers who have been imprisoned in Turkey. The petition on Change.org has been signed by writers, literary figures, artists, academics and journalists such as Noam Chomsky, Julian Barnes, Costa Gavras, Judith Butler, Salman Rushdie, Antonio Negri, Emma Thompson, John Berger, Erol Önderoğlu and Orhan Pamuk.

“THE WITCH HUNT MUST END”

The petition text asks “all the democrats in the world” to object these arrests and says: “It can be understandable that the government declared a temporary state of emergency following the July 15 coup attempt. But the failed coup must not be used as an excuse for a McCarthy-esque witch hunt and the events of the State of Emergency must not trample fundamental rights, rules of law regarding evidence, and even the rules of common sense.”

The text states that the number of arrested journalists and writers in Turkey has climbed to 121 and demands that the journalists be released at once.

The petition can be signed at https://www.change.org/p/altanlar%C4%B1-ve-t%C3%BCm-tutuklu-yazarlar%C4%B1-serbest-b%C4%B1rak%C4%B1n-free-the-altans-all-arrested-writers