Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-07-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has raised with his Turkish counterpart the issue of Turkish academics being banned from international travel.

Sir Alan Duncan

The UK Government has strongly condemned the attempted coup on 15 July and stands firmly in support of Turkey’s democratically elected government and institutions. I visited Turkey on 20-21 July to reiterate our support for democracy in Turkey. In meetings with Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım and Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, amongst others, I stressed the need for Turkey to respect human rights and the rule of law.

We have been concerned to hear reports of academics being suspended and investigated. Freedom of expression is vital in a democratic society, and especially in education. That includes the right to express views we might think are mistaken, or one-sided. Public debate should be encouraged –not suppressed. Private travel for most academics remains unimpeded. As with all Special Passport holders, academics with a Special Passport need a letter from their employer stating they have permission to travel. Academics can travel abroad for work with permission from their rectors and a written invitation from the hosts.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely and to stress to the Turkish government the importance of ensuring that all measures taken are proportionate and justified