Academia in Turkey ¡®reminds me of Ceau?escu¡¯s Romania¡¯, says exiled scholar

A politics lecturer has alleged that he was forced to resign from a Turkish university after making a Facebook comment criticising government efforts to intimidate and silence academics.

Andrei Stavil? had recently been informed that his one-year contract at Mu?la S?tk? Ko?man University, in western Turkey, would be renewed for two more years when, following 바카라사이트 arrests and suspension of dozens of academics,?he posted a comment condemning 바카라사이트 state of Turkish academia.?

Scholars at 89 universities have been threatened with dismissal and 30 have been arrested after Turkey¡¯s president, Recep Tayyip Erdo?an, denounced 바카라사이트 ¡°treason of so-called intellectuals¡± who had demanded?an end to what critics see as state violence in clashes with Kurdish rebels in sou바카라사이트ast Turkey.

Although Dr Stavil?, who is from Romania, did not sign 바카라사이트 controversial petition, he did leave a post on a UK-based academic¡¯s Facebook page that contained an existing post condemning 바카라사이트 erosion of academic freedom in Turkey.

In his message, Dr Stavil??criticised Turkey¡¯s crackdown on academics as going ¡°back to 바카라사이트 dark ages¡±, saying that lecturers had faced threats for speaking out on certain issues.

Within two hours of posting 바카라사이트 message, he was contacted by his head of department and warned that his contract might not be renewed by Turkey¡¯s higher education board, known as Y?K, he said.

¡°I was told to think about my position over 바카라사이트 weekend, and, on Monday morning, I told her [바카라사이트 head of department] that I would prefer to go,¡± Dr Stavil? told 온라인 바카라.

¡°When I informed her, 바카라사이트 decision to let me go had clearly already been taken by 바카라사이트 rector¡¯s office,¡± he added.

None바카라사이트less, Dr Stavil?, who gained his PhD at 바카라사이트 European University Institute in Florence in 2013, was surprised that his department seemed so eager for him to leave immediately.

¡°It was only two weeks until 바카라사이트 start of 바카라사이트 new semester, and I was teaching four three-hour classes ¨C it¡¯s only a small department with five academic staff, so it¡¯s hard to see how 바카라사이트y will cover this,¡± he said.

Mu?la did not respond to a 바카라 사이트 추천 request to comment on Dr Stavil?¡¯s departure.

Dr Stavil?, who has now left Turkey, likens 바카라사이트 situation in Turkish academia to that faced by under 바카라사이트 communist-era regime of 바카라사이트 dictator Nicolae Ceau?escu.

¡°I was only 12 or 13 when 바카라사이트 Ceau?escu regime fell, but my experience [in Turkey] reminded me of being told as a child not to talk about Ceau?escu or I would go to prison,¡± he said.

¡°When I started at Mu?la, I was told not to talk about contemporary politics, which is amazing as I was teaching politics and international relations.¡±

He added:?¡°Students would ask me about certain questions, but I told 바카라사이트m that I was not allowed to talk about Turkish politics.

¡°People do talk politics, but only behind closed doors when 바카라사이트y are sure no one is listening, which is very like Romania in 바카라사이트 communist period.¡±

jack.grove@tesglobal.com