DÖW’s May 2026 reporting: Our statement and letter

Living our culture, valuing our heritage and preserving our roots are part of how we understand ourselves. Taking cultural expressions out of context, distorting their original meaning and inferring political or organisational affiliations from them does not constitute a scientifically sound analysis. Cultural affinity is not evidence of institutional dependence.

An institution’s claim to scientific authority does not give it licence to make characterisations that damage reputations. Scientific work requires reliable sources, careful examination of their context and conclusions that can be followed and scrutinised. Citing a source does not, by itself, prove the claim it is used to support.

Following our review, we consider the disputed characterisations of our association and our chairwoman to lack a sound factual basis. In particular, we see no evidence in the cited sources of the alleged legal or organisational dependence. Contacts, cooperation and participation in events do not, in themselves, establish institutional subordination.

A specific error illustrates the shortcomings in the examination of sources: The DÖW article uses images from a private wedding celebration as evidence of a celebration of Turkey’s Republic Day organised by ATZP. A private celebration is thus recast as an association event marking a national holiday. Asking about the actual occasion could have clarified this error.

Anyone who misrepresents even the occasion of an event and draws political connections from it must expect critical questions about the reliability of their research and conclusions. Such a portrayal falls short of the standards of scientific rigour.

The consequences affect real people: their personal and professional reputations, and trust in voluntary work. DÖW, too, is responsible for the accuracy of its publications and for how it addresses substantiated objections.

We expect the inaccurate information to be corrected promptly and transparently in public, and the conclusions based on it to be thoroughly reviewed. If an appropriate correction is not made, we will pursue the legal remedies available to protect our association and our chairwoman. We will continue to follow the matter resolutely.

The ATZP Board