Turkish historian expelled from university for his views, accused of terrorism

A piece by Ada Chojnowska for wyborcza.pl covering SAR scholar Candan Badem, a Turkish historian.

Ada Chojnowska: Can a scientist or historian be political?

Prof. Candan Badem: – Surely it can be political in a sense not to please the Turkish government. I know that not so long ago, many people, both in Turkey and abroad, placed their hopes on the Justice and Development Party that is now in power. Personally, I had no doubts as to how it might end, but believe me, I don’t get much satisfaction from being right. Our country was not democratic before. However, what is happening today is what I call the Islamofascist dictatorship. It is a fundamentalist, fanatical power that tries to suppress any manifestations of independent or unfavorable thinking, also among scientists. It is an authority that does not respect the judgments of the Turkish Constitutional Court, the European Court of Human Rights, virtually no law, even passed by herself.

Read more here.