The academics who signed the Peace Petition prior to the coup attempt in Turkey have now been linked by the State with those who perpetrated the Coup. The signers noted they they had nothing to do with the coup, did not agree with it, did not participate in it and that their action well preceded the coup situation. Their petition was done in the open and sent to the authorities. It was not ... Continue Reading>>
NASA Scientist, Serkan Golge, Arrested Post‑Coup in Turkey
NASA scientist Serkan Golge, who has been employed as a senior research scientist with the American space program, was arrested in Turkey following the failed coup attempt and charged with espionage. He has been researching the health effects of time spent in space on the human body. The Committee of Concerned Scientists has been making inquiries in an attempt to have him released and to have ... Continue Reading>>
CCS Requests Help Addressing Mass Arrests, Detentions and Suspensions in Turkey
As many are aware, on June 15 there was a coup attempt in Turkey. The Committee of Concerned Scientists has denounced the attempt by the Turkish military to seize power from the democratically elected leaders. As an organization of scientists, physicians, engineers, and scholars, dedicated to protecting the human rights and scientific freedom of colleagues around the world, we also are greatly ... Continue Reading>>
Academic Community Severely Affected by Actions of Turkish Government Following Attempted Coup
Despite their lack of involvement and their opposition to any coup in Turkey, academics in Turkey have been severely affected by the actions of the Turkish government - universities shut down, staff suspended and terminated from their positions and some detained and arrested. Due process has not been followed and guilt or innocence doesn’t appear to make a difference in actions taken. CCS would ... Continue Reading>>
Academics and Scientists Severely Affected by Attempted Coup in Turkey
On July 15, 2016 a fraction of the Turkish military attempted to seize power from democratically elected leaders. Turkish citizens went to the streets and protested en masse. The democracy was saved but two hundred innocent people had died and over a thousand were injured. The Turkish government declared a state of emergency and began purging Turkish institutions from elements allegedly ... Continue Reading>>
Sebnem Korur Fincanci and Colleagues Released, but Charges Not Dropped
Dr. Sebnem Korur Fincanci, President of the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey and professor at Istanbul University, has been released from prison, along with her two colleagues. However, the charges against them have not been dropped. These charges could result in 14 years in prison. CCS has requested that the Turkish authorities drop all charges against Dr. Fincanci and her ... Continue Reading>>
Turkey Continues to Question, Detain, Arrest, and Terminate Employment of Academics That Signed Peace Petition
To date, the Turkish authorities have terminated the employment, requested resignations, failed to renew contracts or sent files to the Higher Educational Council of 91 Turkish academics. 513 face disciplinary action resulting in temporary suspensions, and legal process have been initiated against 418. The numbers are continually growing. CCS has written to the Turkish authorities requesting ... Continue Reading>>
Professor and President of Human Rights Foundation of Turkey Arrested
Dr. Sebnem Korur Fincanci, professor and head of the Department of Forensic Medicine at Istanbul University was arrested on June 20 and charged with “terror propaganda” along with two other prominent writers, Erol Onderoglu and Ahmet Nesin. The arrests seem to have been triggered in response to their participating as “on-duty editor-in-chief” of the newspaper Ozgur Gundem, a pro-Kurdish ... Continue Reading>>
A Petition in Support of Turkish Academics Facing Job Loss and Arrest
Please support Turkish academics who have been terminated from their positions and arrested for signing a petition to encourage a peaceful handling of the Kurdish population. Our Previous Activities CCS Turkish Archive Hundreds of Turkish academics face prison terms and expulsion from their universities for exercising their freedom of speech. We appeal to academics of all countries to stand ... Continue Reading>>
Turkish Academics Temporarily Released
The hearing for the four Turkish Academics arrested for having signed the Peace Petition was held on Friday, April 22nd. There was considerable support from government observers from other countries and supporters who attended a rally outside of the courthouse. The scholars were temporarily released pending trial/charges altered to lesser charge. The Court is attempting to scale back the charges ... Continue Reading>>