In solidarity with Pinar Selek

Pinar Selek’s 5th court trial will take place in Istanbul on June 28. ENS de Lyon will be showing its support at the Lyon City Hall.

Pinar Selek’s 5th court trial will take place in Istanbul on June 28. Supporters from all sides are mobilizing to offer her their solidarity here and abroad.

University delegation will travel to Istanbul, where the Lyon Saint-Etienne Community of Universities and Institutions (COMUE) will be represented alongside Université Côte d’Azur. Pinar Selek chose to participate in her trial from Lyon, where, along with her Lyon-based collective of friends and supporters, she will be welcomed at the Hôtel de Ville , the Lyon City Hall. ENS de Lyon has actively participated in the organization of this event and will be attending.

Pinar Selek is a writer and an associate professor in Sociology. She was forced to leave Turkey, where her freedom and security were under threat. For more than 25 years, she has been prosecuted by the Turkish justice system for her stances and publications. Pinar Selek, a French-Turkish activist, is involved in a number of causes, namely in favor of minority rights, the Kurdish question and the fight against discrimination in the Turkish society. Accused in 1998 of attempted to carry out a terrorist attack in Turkey, and already acquitted of the charges four times, she is now the subject of a fifth trial, the Turkish Supreme Court having once again overturned her acquittal on June 21, 2022.

In this long and tedious legal process, she is shown widespread support, particularly in France, from institutions, associations and citizens’ groups.

The afternoon will alternate between remote monitoring of her trial, speeches and artistic interventions. ENS de Lyon will be showing its support on June 28 at the Hôtel de Ville.
Our School has a special connection with Pinar Selek : It was an honor to award her an Honoris Causa Doctorate in 2013 and then to welcome her as a visiting professor at the Max Weber Center. After this period, during which she made a whole network of friends, colleagues and supporters in the academic, Armenian, Kurdish and LGBTQ+ communities, Lyon became a city dear to her heart. Moreover, she received the title of honorary citizen of the city at the end of 2023 and, at the ceremony to mark the occasion, gave a powerful speech on her battles and beliefs as a scholar and a woman.

The demonstration in support of Pinar Selek will start at 12.30 pm on June 28, with a speech by Sonia Zdorovtzoff, Deputy Mayor of Lyon, and representative for international relations, cooperation and solidarity. The trial in Istanbul is due to start at 1pm, and it is planned to follow it "live" with Pinar Selek’s supporters in Turkey, while hearing a number of speeches, testimonies or readings that will enlighten the discussions. Lyon Mayor Grégory Doucet is expected to offer his support at around 3.30pm.

More information on the June 28 day at the Hotêl de Ville