SAR’s Academic Freedom Monitoring Project investigates and reports attacks on higher education with the aim of raising awareness, generating advocacy, and increasing protection for scholars, students, and academic communities. Learn more.

Date of Incident: December 09, 2016

Attack Types: Imprisonment

Institution(s):Istanbul University

Region & Country:Western Asia | Turkey

New or Ongoing:New Incident

On December 9, 2016, Turkish authorities issued warrants for 87 Istanbul University personnel on allegations that they were involved with a violent coup attempt on July 15, 2016. 

Following the July 15 coup attempt, Turkish authorities declared a national state of emergency, which has been extended multiple times, and remains in effect as of this report. Authorities have alleged that members of a movement led by Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen were behind the coup attempt, and have taken a range of actions against members of the higher education community (among others) which they claim are intended to identify those parties involved, and/or to eliminate the Gülen movement’s influence within Turkish institutions.

Following the issuance of the warrants, Turkish authorities reportedly conducted simultaneous raids in 12 provinces across the country, including in Istanbul, Ankara and Antalya.  As of this report, at least 51 of the individuals named in the warrants had reportedly been taken into custody.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about the arbitrary arrest and detention of scholars as a part of sweeping actions taken by the State against higher education community members. While State authorities have a right to maintain order and respond to legitimate security concerns, such actions must comply with States’ human rights obligations, including those relating to freedom of association, due process, and academic freedom, which are protected by international human rights instruments including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Turkey is a party. In addition to the harm to the immediate victims, such incidents have a chilling effect on academic freedom and undermine democratic society generally. 

Sources:

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-security-university-idUSKBN13Y0E0

87 including professors detained over coup charges

Turkey seeks arrest of university academics in Gulen-related probe: Media

https://report.az/en/region/turkish-police-arrested-87-employees-of-istanbul-university/

http://armenpress.am/eng/news/871159/istanbul-university-professors-lecturers-arrested.html

http://turkishminute.turkishminute.com/2016/12/10/51-academics-istanbul-university-detained-central-party-leader-list/