Tag Archives: Academic Freedom

The pernicious logic of Turkey’s petty charges against free speech

Posted on December 21, 2014 by heissenstat

If the escalating war on the Gülen Movement, dominated recent news from Turkey, it was also marked by lesser items which highlight the dire straits of Turkish human rights.  A protester in Samsun was charged with “insulting the Turkish flag” … Continue reading →

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Turkey’s War on Its Intellectuals

Posted on March 17, 2013 by cecbill

Semih Idiz,  commenting recently in  AI Monitor noted that “the number of people charged, mostly under anti-terrorism legislation, for some ‘crime’ that has a political angle… almost matches the number of people in a similar situation under military rule in … Continue reading →

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An Academic Dean and Political Enforcer

Posted on January 25, 2013 by heissenstat

Something is rotten on the campus of Marmara University, says the Middle East Studies Association. In letter of protest to Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan, the Middle East Studies Association has voiced its concern that the Dean of the Faculty of … Continue reading →

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Is Darwin Being Censored Again?

Posted on January 14, 2013 by heissenstat

Recent press accounts suggest that TÜBİTAK, the The Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey, will no longer publish works on evolution. As noted in this recent blog, political meddling has threatened both freedom of expression and basic science in … Continue reading →

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Turkish Democracy: A Model Abroad, Troubled at Home?

Posted on December 20, 2012 by heissenstat

Stay tuned for important Amnesty statements on Turkey in the next few days.   In the meantime, I’ll post a panel discussion at the Project for Middle East Democracy in February, 2012, entitled “Turkish Democracy: A Model Abroad, Troubled at Home.” … Continue reading →

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The Ivory Tower Besieged

Posted on December 17, 2012 by heissenstat

In this recent article for Human Rights Now, Country Specialist Howard Eissenstat outlines the ways in which academic freedom is under attack in Turkey In Turkey, it is not “publish or perish” that scholars must fear.  It is prison. There … Continue reading →

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