Citizen opens case on Darwin censorship
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Gökçer Tahincioğlu - Milliyet
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mayıs 04, 2009 00:00
ANKARA-A citizen has filed a complaint against Turkey's top science and technology institution, stating that the institution’s censorship of a Darwin story in its magazine was malpractice. The Prosecutor’s Office has accepted the application and has opened a case.
İzzet Arıkan, a citizen residing in Ankara but originally from Sivas’s İmralı Arın village, filed the complaint against The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey, or TÜBİTAK, on the allaged censorship of the Darwin cover story. "It is a crime to impair our knowledge. I am a prep school graduate village man, but I believe what has been done is a crime" Arıkan said.
Arıkan, who is also a founder of the Arın Culture Society, stated in his complaint that although TÜBİTAK’s management should be celebrating Darwin’s 200th birthday with ceremonies, they have censored the magazine instead.Arıkan requested TÜBİTAK management be trialed.
TÜBİTAK was going to feature Charles Darwin, the first evolutionary biologist, as the cover story of their science publication’s March issue but it was withdrawn before printing.
Dr. Çiğdem Atakuman, executive editor of the publication, had prepared the cover story for the 200th birthday of Darwin as part of Darwin Year. However, the issue changed before printing after TÜBİTAK Vice President Professor Ömer Cebeci intervened. The press put the matter on the news agenda as an act of religious censorship.
Arıkan, who is also a founder of the Arın Culture Society, stated in his complaint that although TÜBİTAK’s management should be celebrating Darwin’s 200th birthday with ceremonies, they have censored the magazine instead.Arıkan requested TÜBİTAK management be trialed.
TÜBİTAK was going to feature Charles Darwin, the first evolutionary biologist, as the cover story of their science publication’s March issue but it was withdrawn before printing.
Dr. Çiğdem Atakuman, executive editor of the publication, had prepared the cover story for the 200th birthday of Darwin as part of Darwin Year. However, the issue changed before printing after TÜBİTAK Vice President Professor Ömer Cebeci intervened. The press put the matter on the news agenda as an act of religious censorship.