We call on the ruling Justice and Development Party to backpedal from the dangerous road it is treading on before it is too late for democracy in Turkey.

 Turkey's democracy had been regularly impeded by coups in the past, but today its vitality is suffering greatly under a civil administration.

Turkey is governed by a ruling party that sees separation of powers, judicial independence, parliamentary supervision, use of right to peaceful assembly and protest and the freedom of the press as threats or coups against itself and portray democracy's typical components such as checks and balances as obstacles to "national will."

Many amendments have been made to laws in recent years that distanced the legal system miles away from universal legal norms, turning it into a vehicle of oppression against fundamental rights and freedoms.

With an ever-increasing pace in growing authoritarian, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) have pressurized media bosses to lay off hundreds of critical journalists and columnists and leveraged public resources to ensure that many newspapers and TV networks are acquired by pro-government businessmen.

In its latest move on December 14, 2014, journalists, particularly including executives of Turkey's best-selling Zaman newspaper and popular Samanyolu TV network, as well as producers, actors and actresses of TV serials were taken to custody some of whom were arrested on charges of membership to a 'terrorist organization' and attempting to take over the state.

The ruling party seeks to silence the critical media by using the penal laws and judicial bodies that have recently been reorganized to this end, and efforts are made to eradicate journalism as a profession.

We, the signatories below, call on the public to be aware of the worrisome process of deviation from democracy in Turkey, and

on the ruling AKP to backpedal from this dangerous path.

Signatories

 Ahmet Altan, Ahmet İnsel, Ahmet İsvan, Ahmet Turan Alkan, Ali Bulaç, Altan Tan, Asaf Savaş Akat, Aslı Tunç, Ataol Behramoğlu, Aydın Engin, Ayhan Aktar, Baskın Oran, Bülent Keneş, Bülent Korucu, Cafer Solgun,  Cengiz Aktar, Cengiz Çandar,  Ceren Sözeri, Ceyda Karan, Cihangir İslam, Cüneyt Ülsever,     Daron Acemoğlu, Dengir Mir Mehmet Fırat, Doğan Akın, Doğan satmış,  Doğu Ergil, Ergun Babahan, Erkan Saka, Erkam Tufan Aytav, Ertuğrul Günay, Ferhat Kentel, Gençay Gürsoy, Hadi Uluengin, Hasan Cemal, Hayko Bağdat,   Herkül Milas, Hilmi Yavuz, İbrahim Betil, İştar Gözaydın, Kazım Güleçyüz, Koray Çalışkan, Kürşat Bumin,   Levent Köker, Maya Arakon, Mehmet Altan, Mehmet Bekaroğlu, Mehmet Betil, Mehveş Evin, Melis Behlil, Murat Aksoy, Murat belge, Mustafa Erdoğan, Mustafa Yeşil, Müge Göcek, Mümtaz’er Türköne, Namık Çınar, Nazlı Ilıcak,     Neşe Düzel, Nil Mutluer,  Nilüfer Göle, Niyazi Öktem, Nuray Mert, Orhan Kemal Cengiz, Osman Kavala,     Oya Baydar, Ömer Laçiner, Ömer Madra, Pelin Batu, Reha Çamuroğlu, Sait Çetinoğlu, Samim Akgönül, Selahattin Özel, Seyfettin Gürsel, Suat Kınıklıoğlu, Suna Vidinli, Şahin Alpay, Tahir Özyurtseven, Taner Akçam, Tayfun Atay, Temel İskit, Tuğba Tekerek, Ufuk Uras, Ümit Kardaş, Ünal Ünsal, Yasemin Çongar, Yasemin İnceoğlu, Yavuz Baydar, Yavuz Oğhan, Yüksel Taşkın