Deadline: 26-Jul-21
Freedom House is calling proposals for Policy Brief Series.
Turkey remains one of most challenging places in the European region to exercise fundamental freedoms.
In this challenging environment, Freedom House seeks to empower civil society to contribute to the improvement of fundamental freedoms in Turkey and to advocate with national and international decision makers to uphold the country’s human rights commitments.
This project aims to create a common ground for different civil society actors to address human rights issues in the country.
Freedom House and its partners intend to respond threats to fundamental freedoms by providing litigation support, research and analysis, support for grassroots initiatives, and advocacy.
Theme
- Freedom House seeks proposals from both rising and experienced independent researchers, scholars, and affiliated research analysts, especially those based in Turkey, the Middle East, and the European Union, for forward-looking briefs on the following theme:
- Academic Freedom at Stake in Turkey:
- The appointment of former AKP MP Candidate Melih Bulu as the trustee rector of Bogaziçi University, one of the most reputable universities in Turkey, by President Erdogan on January 1, 2021, struck a major blow to the academic freedom in the country.
- Until 2016, presidents of Turkey had the authority to appoint university rectors from among three candidates internal to the university, voted for by their peers.
- This growing trend of direct involvement by President Erdogan clearly politicizes the position of rector and brings the independence of Bogaziçi University, and Turkish academia more generally, into question.
- This triggered mass protests by students and scholars at the university, in an attempt to defend what is one of the last bastions of academic freedom in Turkey.
- Later, Bulu appointed himself as dean of the university’s faculty of communications, which was also established by a Presidential decision.
- Bogaziçi university is not the first or only case in Turkey where academic freedom is violated.
- Government intervention in academia in Turkey is very common.
- In 2016, thousands of academics signed a petition calling on the government to peacefully end the conflict in the southeast involving the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militant group.
- Many signatories lost their jobs, and some were tried and convicted for disseminating terrorist propaganda.
- Following the coup attempt later that year, even more academics across Turkey were removed and, in some cases, detained, while several universities were closed.
Procedures
- The concept proposal should consist of an abstract of an outline of the proposed argument and recommendations that is no more than 200 words, and a CV of the principal researcher or researchers.
- Organizations and individuals may submit proposals for more than one brief.
- Priority will be given to concept proposals submitted in English. Also, Freedom House will encourage non-traditional applicants such as journalists, lawyers, or students, to provide the opportunity to write about the issues impacting their lives or livelihoods.
- Contracted researchers will be asked to deliver a draft of 2500-3000 words.
- The brief will be published and promoted by Freedom House, with the byline and affiliation of the scholar or researcher.
- An honorarium of between $500 and $1,000 will be provided depending on the scope of the brief.
For more information, visit https://freedomhouse.org/article/turkey-call-proposals-policy-brief-series