Ioanna Kuçuradi Was Presented with the 17 th Republic Award

The winner of the 17 th Contemporary Life Republic Award is Prof. Dr. Ioanna Kuçuradi.
The seventeenth edition of the Contemporary Life Republic Award, which is given annually by the
Association for Supporting Contemporary Life (ÇYDD) on April 10, Secularism Day, was presented to
Prof. Dr. Ioanna Kuçuradi.
ÇYDD President Prof. Dr. Ayşe Yüksel, who made the opening speech of the ceremony, stated that
they were very pleased to present the award to Prof. Dr. Kuçuradi this year and thanked her for her
efforts to keep the principle of secularism alive in our country and to carry it to the future with her
philosophy, human rights and ethics studies.
Since 2007, this award has been respectively given to Ms. Muazzez İlmiye Çığ, Mr. Fazıl Say, Mr. Sabih
Kanadoğlu, Mr. Rıza Türmen, Ms. Yıldız Kenter, Mr. Genco Erkal, Ms. Gülriz Sururi, Prof. Dr. Yılmaz
Büyükerşen, Prof. Dr. Fatih Hilmioğlu, Prof. Dr. Nermin Abadan Unat, Prof. Dr. Doğan Kuban, Prof.
Dr. Ümit Kocasakal, Prof. Dr. İlber Ortaylı, Mr. Müjdat Gezen, Prof. Dr. Yücel Aşkın, Prof. Dr. Mehmet
Haberal, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Yurtkuran, Prof. Dr. Ferit Bernay, Prof. Dr. Emre Kongar and Mr. Ataol
Behramoğlu.
Speaking on the importance of the principle of secularism and the date of April 10 for the Republic
of Turkey, ÇYDD Vice President Adv. Sedat Durna indicated that, "It has been decided that Prof. Dr.
Ioanna Kuçuradi would be honored with the 17 th Contemporary Life Republic Award for her
contributions to the development of universal human rights, education and modern humanitarian
life in our country with her great efforts for the protection, survival and promotion of the values of
the Republic and for her numerous and pioneering studies in the fields of human rights, philosophy
and ethics.’’
Mr. Durna continued to express that, ‘’We will experience a historical time period as we celebrate the
100 th anniversary of our Republic and welcome its second century. There lies a crucial turning point
in front of us as we welcome the second century of the Republic when we need to correct our
deficiencies on the way to modernization and to achieve our goal of building a modern society
through secular, scientific and democratic education. We need to evaluate the May 14 elections
from this point of view and most importantly, we must all cast our votes as our civic duty calls for. If
we can unite our forces in the transition period to the democratic parliamentary system and leave
the search for better forms to a later date, we believe that we will overcome the difficulties of this
critical juncture and shape our Republic in accordance with its spirit and essence in its second
century. We call on everyone to act with this awareness and responsibility.’’
Due to health conditions, Prof. Dr. Ioanna Kuçuradi could not attend the award ceremony which was
held at Maltepe Prof. Dr. Türkan Saylan Cultural Center and which was attended by ÇYDD

members and youth alongside numerous devotees of Prof. Dr. Türkân Saylan. Prof. Dr. Kuçuradi
made her speech by connecting to the ceremony remotely and on her behalf the award was
received by Maltepe University Faculty of Fine Arts Dean Prof. Dr. Oktay Yalın. Dr. Kuçuradi thanked
for the award and she concluded her speech by saying, "I have ensured that the knowledge of values
and human rights can be decisive. Secularism ensured that human rights are decisive."
Every year since 2007, the Republic of Turkey Award has been presented by ÇYDD on the
anniversary of the Turkish Grand National Assembly meeting of April 10, 1928, which is the day of
the abolition of the clause of Article 2 of the Constitution, which stated "Islam is the religion of the
State of Turkey" and the sentence in Article 26 of the Constitution which stated "the provisions of
sharia shall be executed by the Turkish Grand National Assembly" in line with the principle of
secularization.
The persons to whom the award will be given are determined by the votes of ÇYDD members,
volunteers and young people from among the names determined by the ÇYDD Headquarters Board
of Directors.