After journalist and writer Mine Kırıkkanat’s lawsuit against author Elif Şafak for plagiarism resulted in a verdict in favor of Kırıkkanat, discussions and a lynching campaign began on social media. Approximately 130 prominent figures from the literary world came together to issue a statement. The statement reads as follows:
“After the first-instance court decision regarding the plagiarism lawsuit filed by Mine G. Kırıkkanat against Elif Şafak’s work ‘Bit Palas,’ certain circles initiated a lynching campaign targeting Elif Şafak on social media. The content and tone of these posts suggest that their concerns are not solely related to literature. As writers, we are watching this lynching campaign with astonishment and concern. We believe that the culture of lynching, based on careless and superficial judgments and driven by a fanatical mindset, poses a new threat to our already limited freedom of thought and expression. Moreover, we consider the discussion of literary matters through non-literary criteria and judgments as ultimately undermining the creative freedom of all of us.”
”We believe that conflicts and lawsuits among writers should be examined with a serious and calm approach that aligns with the values of literature, based on ethical and legal processes adhering to international standards. We do not endorse the resolution of literary disputes through non-literary criteria. During the ongoing stages of the legal process, we demand that the dispute be addressed by a panel of literary experts consisting of writers, and that their evaluation based on literary criteria be considered in the decision-making process.
Regardless of the content of the case, our call to all writers and literary colleagues is as follows: Let us not allow any writer – often targeted by those in power – to be lynched through such methods. Let us remain loyal to the fundamental values of literature.”
Writers who signed the statement:
- Afşin Kum
- Ahmet Karadağ
- Alper Canıgüz
- Altay Öktem
- Anıl Mert Özsoy
- Arlin Çiçekçi
- Arzu Erkan
- Aslı Ilgın Kopuz
- Aslı Solakoğlu
- Asuman Susam
- Ayfer Tunç
- Ayşe Sarısayın
- Ayşegül Devecioğlu
- Ayşen Şahin
- Baran Güzel
- Barış Müstecaplıoğlu
- Barış Pirhasan
- Başar Başaran
- Başar Başarır
- Bedia Ceylan Güzelce
- Birgül Oğuz
- Buket Aybatlı
- Cem Kalender
- Çayan Okuduci
- Çiler İlhan
- Defne Suman
- Deniz Durukan
- Deniz Yüce Başarır
- Doğu Yücel
- Elif Sofya
- Emek Erez
- Ercan Y. Yılmaz
- Esra Yalazan
- Ezgi Altıner
- Fadime Uslu
- Fergun Özelli
- Feride Çiçekoğlu
- Fethiye Çetin
- Figen Alkaç
- Figen Şakacı
- Fuat Sevimay
- Gamze Arslan
- Gaye Boralıoğlu
- Gonca Özmen
- Gönül Kıvılcım
- Gülçin Wilhelm
- Gündüz Vassaf
- Gürsel Korat
- Hakan Akdoğan
- Hakan Bıçakçı
- Hakan R. Temiz
- Hakan Toker
- Herkül Millas
- Hikmet Hükümenoğlu
- Hüsnü Arkan
- İbrahim Halil Çelik
- İlay Bilgili
- İlhami Algör
- İrem Uzunhasanoğlu
- İsmail Güzelsoy
- Jaklin Çelik
- Jale Sancak
- Karin Karakaşlı
- Kemal Varol
- Kerem Eksen
- Latife Tekin
- Mahir Ünsal Eriş
- Mehmet Bilal Dede
- Mehmet Özkan Şüküran
- Melike Koçak
- Menekşe Toprak
- Mesut Varlık
- Mevsim Yenice
- Mihrap Aydın
- Mine Kazmaoğlu
- Mine Soysal
- Muharrem Erbey
- Murat Gülsoy
- Murat Özyaşar
- Murat Uyurkulak
- Murat Yalçın
- Murathan Mungan
- Müren Beykan
- Nermin Yıldırım
- Neslihan Önderoğlu
- Neşe Yaşın
- Nilay Özer
- Niyazi Zorlu
- Nuray Önoğlu
- Nurhan Suerdem
- Onur Bütün
- Orhan Murat Bahtiyar
- Orhan Pamuk
- Oya Baydar
- Oylum Yılmaz
- Özlem Akıncı
- Özgür Soylu
- Pınar Eğilmez
- Polat Özlüoğlu
- Selçuk Çelik
- Sema Kaygusuz
- Semrin Şahin
- Seray Şahiner
- Serkan Türk
- Sevengül Sönmez
- Sevim Erdoğan
- Sevin Okyay
- Sezer Ateş Ayvaz
- Sibel Oral
- Sinem Sal
- Süreyyya Evren
- Şebnem İşigüzel
- Şeyhmus Diken
- Şükran Yücel
- Taçlı Yazıcıoğlu
- Tahir M. Ceylan
- Tuba Çandar
- Turgay Fişekçi
- Tülin Özgündoğdu Sağlam
- Türkan Elçi
- Ümit Aykut Aktaş
- Ümit Erdem
- Ümit Kıvanç
- Yasemin Yazıcı
- Vahit Uysal
- Yavuz Ekinci
- Yekta Kopan
- Yiğit Bener
- Zeynep Göğüş
- Zülfü Livaneli
