Middle East Studies Association

All Committee on Academic Freedom

May 19, 2017
Committee on Academic Freedom

TÜBİTAK memo asking for removal of dismissed academics from editorial and review boards

Letter to PM Yıldırım and President Erdoğan regarding a memo issued by the Turkish Council for Scientific and Technical Research (TÜBİTAK) on March 17, 2017, addressed to peer reviewed scientific journals listed under the National Academic Network and Information Center (ULAKBİM). The memo asks journals to remove any members who have been dismissed, suspended, and/or banned from public service on the basis of their alleged affiliation with terrorist organizations from their editorial and review boards. The memo is emblematic of the most recent wave of attacks against academic freedom in Turkey.

May 15, 2017
Committee on Academic Freedom

Deteriorating conditions for Turkish academic and teacher on hunger strike following terminations

Letter to Turkish officials regarding the deteriorating conditions of an academic, Nuriye Gülmen, and a teacher, Semih Özakça, who have been on hunger strike in protest of their terminations without process by emergency decrees.

May 05, 2017
Committee on Academic Freedom

Another wave of terminations from recent emergency decrees

Letter concerning April 29th Emergency Decree 689 removing 484 academics and 98 administrators from their university positions.

April 18, 2017
Committee on Academic Freedom

UK Universities cancel scheduled talks by Richard Falk

Professor Richard Falk was subject to defamation and the obstruction or cancellation of scheduled talks after the release of a report, co-authored with Professor Virginia Tilley, on Israeli law and practice, commissioned by the United Nation’s Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia.

April 06, 2017
Committee on Academic Freedom

Khalil al-Halwachi sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment

Letter to the King of Bahrain to protest the sentencing of educator and instructor Khalil al-Halwachi to ten years’ imprisonment and to urge Bahrain to respect internationally recognized standards of due process and freedom of expression and association.

April 05, 2017
Committee on Academic Freedom

Concern and Support for Nasser bin Ghaith sentenced to 10 years

Letter to UAE authorities to protest the ten-year prison sentence of economist, academic and prominent human rights defender, Dr. Nasser bin Ghaith about whom CAF-MENA has written several times, and to urge the leadership to intervene promptly to reverse the Court’s decision.

April 04, 2017
Committee on Academic Freedom

Dismissal of two faculty at Boğaziçi University

Letter to PM Yıldırım concerning the dismissal of two faculty members of Boğaziçi University (Istanbul) by the Higher Education Council of Turkey (YOK) on the basis that they are signatories to the petition with the title “We will not be a Party to this Crime”.

March 31, 2017
Committee on Academic Freedom

Travel Restriction and Investigation of Omar Barghouti

Letter to Israeli state authorities expressing concern over the recent investigation of Omar Barghouti, permanent resident and BDS co-founder. CAF is concerned the allegations are political and, therefore, violate his right to movement and to non-violent political expression.

March 30, 2017
Committee on Academic Freedom

New Initiatives to Help Imperiled Turkish Scholars

March 29, 2017
Committee on Academic Freedom

Arrest and Detention of Ahmed Mansoor

Letter to UAE authorities regarding the arrest of Ahmed Mansoor, a prominent human rights activist and 2015 recipient of the prestigious Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders.

March 20, 2017
Committee on Academic Freedom

New York State Senate passes bills to prohibit funding of university groups supporting boycott of allied nations

Letter to the New York State Assembly regarding two bills sanctioning students and faculty who advocate a boycott of Israel or other 'allied nations'.

March 10, 2017
Committee on Academic Freedom

Travel ban for supporters of boycott of Israel

Letter to Israeli state authorities condemning an amendment to the “Entry into Israel” Law that denies entry to anyone who supports a boycott of Israel and/or all territories under Israeli control, including the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

March 02, 2017
Committee on Academic Freedom

Incarceration of nearly 1000 students

Letter to PM Yıldırım regarding incarcerated students in Turkey, numbering close to 1000, and the alarming deterioration in conditions of their detention. Credible reports suggest that evidence for terrorism-related charges is weak, while students are subjected to lengthy detentions as pre-trial punishment.

March 01, 2017
Committee on Academic Freedom

Maltreatment of political prisoner Abduljalil Al-Singace

Letter to the King of Bahrain urging the release, but at minimum, proper medical care and family visits for Dr. Abduljalil Al-Singace.

February 20, 2017
Committee on Academic Freedom

“Code of Ethics” for Israeli academics

Letter to Israeli state authorities expressing concern about a possible “code of ethics” for academics in Israeli universities.

February 16, 2017
Committee on Academic Freedom

Peaceful protesters experience excessive police force and detention

Letter to PM Yıldırım regarding the excessive police force at Ankara University targeting peaceful protesters and the subsequent detentions that occurred at a demonstration on 10 February 2017 protesting the dismissal of academics en masse from the university. The dismissal was direct result of the emergency decree issued on 7 February 2017, Kanun Hükmünde Kararname (KHK) 686, which resulted in the dismissal of 330 academics in general, 95 of which were from Ankara University.For information on Rector Erkan İbiş’s violations of academic freedom at Ankara University see our letters dating 12 January 2017, 3 November 2015, and 12 December 2012. For more on the emergency decree KHK 686, see our letter dated 8 February 2017.

February 16, 2017
Committee on Academic Freedom

Exclusion of Baha’is from higher education

Letter to the Iranian authorities vigorously protesting the Islamic Republic of Iran’s longstanding discrimination against Baha’is in higher education.

February 08, 2017
Committee on Academic Freedom

More Termination of Academics at 49 Universities

Letter to Turkish PM Yıldırım regarding the February 7th Emergency Decree (KHK 686) removing 330 academics from their positions at 49 public universities in Turkey.

February 06, 2017
Committee on Academic Freedom

Ahmadreza Djalali death sentence after forced confession

Letter to the Iranian authorities urging them to release Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali, a permanent resident of Sweden, who has been accused of undermining Iran’s national security and has been sentenced to death.

January 31, 2017
Committee on Academic Freedom

Concern over UAE trend to silence academics and public intellectuals

Letter to UAE authorities protesting deteriorating conditions relative to academic freedom and freedom of expression.

January 27, 2017
Committee on Academic Freedom

Hamid Babaei’s Visitation Rights Needed

Third letter to the Iranian authorities urging them to re-instate Hamid Babaei's visitation rights, to ensure that he receives necessary medical care while in custody, and to overturn the conviction related to his academic activities.

January 23, 2017
Committee on Academic Freedom

Denial by Dean to Recognize Fordham’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine

Letter to Fordham dean Keith Eldredge protesting his decision to deny recognition to Fordham's chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine.

January 19, 2017
Committee on Academic Freedom

Response from President Hamilton to January 4, 2017 Letter

Regarding research and travel ban of Kristina Bogos.

January 12, 2017
Committee on Academic Freedom

KHK 677 Removing 242 Academics

Letter concerning November 22, 2016 Emergency Decree 677 removing 242 academics (including public health specialists) from their university positions and terminating the right to education for students who are incarcerated or held in pre-trial detention.

January 12, 2017
Committee on Academic Freedom

January 6th Emergency Decree 679

Letter concerning January 6th Emergency Decree 679 removing 631 academics from their university positions, including Peace Petition signatories and left-leaning faculty from some of Turkey’s best established universities

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