Letter responding to response from rector of Bogazici University
Our letter to the Rector of Bogazici University in Turkey, responding to his letter in response to our original letter of protest, dated 10 April 2024.
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Response from the President of Boğaziçi University to our 10 April letter
The Committee on Academic Freedom received a response from Professor Naci Inci, President of Boğaziçi University, to our 10 April letter regarding ongoing violations at Boğaziçi University
Letter regarding ongoing violations at Bogazici University
Our letter to President Erdoğan regarding the ongoing dismantling of faculty governance, top-down appointments of external candidates without the due search process, growing censorship and institutionalization of surveillance, as well as the rapid erosion of academic norms and standards and elimination of student life on the campus of Boğaziçi University under the authoritarian leadership of the Physics professor Naci Inci, appointed as the university rector by President Erdoğan.
Letter regarding closure of all Turkish universities to in-person instruction following earthquakes
Our letter to President Erdogan concerning his decision to close all universities to in-person instruction for the remainder of the year in order to house earthquake victims on the country’s campuses.
Letter regarding documentary filmmaker and Communication Professor Sibel Tekin’s pre-trial detention and indictment for her filming activities
Our letter regarding the case of documentary filmmaker and Communication Professor Sibel Tekin whose filming activities focus on social injustice, social movements, and political violence, and who is prosecuted on vague terms of incrimination for her documentary filmmaking activities.
Letter addressing ongoing government interventions in Bogazici University autonomy, staffing and internal operations
Our letter of protest to the Turkish government regarding its numerous, multifaceted interventions throughout 2022 in the internal operations, governance and staffing of Bogazici University.
Letter regarding the continuing attacks on Boğaziçi University’s students and faculty under the leadership of the new rector, Mehmet Naci İnci
Letter to President Erdoğan regarding the continuing attacks against the Boğaziçi University’s students and faculty, including police raids, securitization and militarization of the university campus, dismissals of professors through arbitrary rectoral decisions, and criminalization of peaceful academic protest.
Letter regarding the termination of the contracts of two professors at Boğaziçi University by Acting-Rector Mehmet Naci İnci
Letter to President Erdoğan regarding the termination of the contracts of two professors at Boğaziçi University by Acting-Rector Mehmet Naci İnci, who is continuing the politically motivated campaign against Boğaziçi University’s autonomous university governance launched by his predecessor, the controversially appointed Rector, Melih Bulu.
Letter regarding the government sanctioned campaign against Boğaziçi University, its students, faculty and institutional structure
Letter to President Erdoğan regarding the recent attacks against Boğaziçi University’s students and faculty, and the government’s politically motivated decision to alter the university’s academic structure.
Letter regarding the detention and mistreatment of Boğaziçi University students protesting against the partisan authoritarian appointment of a new rector
Letter to President Erdoğan regarding the detention and mistreatment of Boğaziçi University students protesting against the partisan and authoritarian appointment of the university’s rector, the homophobic language and policies adopted in relation to student protesters, and the placement of snipers on the roofs of buildings adjacent to the campus gate.
Ongoing erosion of the autonomy of Turkish public universities due to Erdogan’s unilateral appointments of university presidents
Letter to President Erdoğan regarding the adverse effects of his unilateral administrative appointments to Turkey's universities resulting in the complete erosion of the autonomy of Turkey's public universities in particular, a process set in motion following the 1980 military coup but dramatically accelerated since 2016 due to emergency and presidential decrees adopted by Erdoğan.
Students detained after protesting appointment of new rector of Bogazici University
Letter to President Erdoğan regarding his presidential decree of January 1st appointing Melih Bulu as rector of Bogazici University and the brutal police crackdown on student protests against the appointment resulting in arrests and detention of Bogazici students.
Letter regarding the detention of Cihan Erdal, a doctoral candidate at Carleton University
Letter to President Erdoğan regarding the detention of Cihan Erdal, a doctoral candidate at Carleton University, apparently due to his having signed a letter in 2014 addressing events in Kobane, Syria while serving as a member of the Central Executive Committee of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP).
Letter regarding Kurdish language rights and education in Turkey
Letter regarding the restrictions on Kurdish language rights and studies in Turkey—undergraduate enrollment, research and writing in the language of study, recognition of publications towards scholarly promotion and employment opportunities for graduates
New Social Media Law in Turkey
Letter regarding a new social media law in Turkey that endangers academic freedom by further expanding government censorship.
Disciplinary actions against Professor Kayıhan Pala
Letter regarding the case of Dr. Kayıhan Pala, a Public Health professor at Uludağ University, who faces a disciplinary investigation for sharing his scholarly views on the numbers of reported Covid-19 cases and fatalities in Bursa.
Professor Bülent Şık’s prison sentence for making public his research on industrial pollution
Letter regarding the case of Professor Bülent Şık whose research focuses on public health, food safety and the right to a healthy environment, and who was given a prison sentence for making public his research on industrial pollution.
Recent amendments made to Turkey’s Higher Education Law
Letter regarding the recent amendments made to Turkey’s Higher Education Law that enable arbitrary and unconstitutional forms of punishment against faculty and politically motivated closures of private universities.
Recent developments in Turkey targeting Istanbul Sehir University
Letter regarding recent developments affecting Istanbul Sehir University that have compromised the university’s governance and autonomy and now threaten it with closure as a result of an apparently politically motivated campaign by the Turkish government.
Discouraging collaborations between SOAS and the Turkish Council of Higher Education (YÖK)
Letter acknowledging SOAS for cancelling an event organized by the Turkish Council of Higher Education (YÖK) and calling upon SOAS and other reputable institutions to refrain from collaborating with YÖK as long as the current climate of repression for academics persists in Turkey.
Continued prosecution and imprisonment of scholars of signatories of “Academics for Peace Petition”
Letter regarding recent developments in the prosecution and specifically imprisonment of scholars who signed the declaration “We will not be a party to this crime”—commonly referred to as the “Academics for Peace Petition.”
Recent developments concerning the prosecution of Peace Petition signatories and targeting of scholars
Letter regarding recent developments in the prosecution of scholars who signed the declaration “We will not be a party to this crime”—commonly referred to as the “Academics for Peace Petition”—as well as the ongoing targeting of scholars whose research exposes threats emanating from the Turkish government’s policies in areas such as public health and environmental regulation.
SUNY Collaboration with Turkish Council of Higher Education (YOK)
Letter protesting joint SUNY-YOK discussion.
July 8th Emergency Decree 701 Removing 206 Academics and 52 Administrators
Letter to President Erdoğan regarding the July 8th Emergency Decree (KHK 701), which resulted in the dismissals of 206 academics at 63 public universities and 52 administrators from 24 public universities in Turkey from their positions.