Turkey’s brain drain: Purges and fear are driving Turkish scholars out of the country

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By William Armstrong

The new academic year opened under dark clouds for many scholars in Turkey. The crackdown in the aftermath of July’s attempted military coup has worsened the sense of suffocation. The country now faces the real danger of a “brain drain” as many educated citizens look for a route out.

Over 5,300 academics have been suspended and over 2,300 have been fired for alleged links to the July 15 coup attempt, while 15 private universities linked to the movement of U.S.-based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen have been closed down. The government says the measures target the Gülenists, a Turkish-designated a terrorist organization accused of orchestrating the coup attempt, but there are rising fears that the dragnet is snaring other opposition voices in a broader witch hunt.

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In other news:

Journalist Altan detained hours after release

Turkish authorities detained prominent journalist Ahmet Altan late on Sept. 22, less than 24 hours after he was released in connection with a probe into an attempted coup on July 15

Recep Tayyip Erdogan: Fighting Terrorism, but on Turkey’s Terms

 NYT > Turkey by By TIM ARANGO

In vowing to continue to fight ISIS, Mr. Erdogan is likely to demand cooperation in fighting Kurdish militants and loyalists to Fethullah Gulen.

Trans Woman Attacked, Forced to Leave İstanbul Neighborhood

Bianet :: English

Kıvılcım Arat, LGBTI activist, was forced to leave her home of five years due to continuous attacks from a group of young men living in her neighborhood

An accusation that will go down in history

English PEN – Cat Lucas – Sep 16, 6:36 AM

Ahmet Altan and Mehmet Altan were detained on Saturday 10 September. Their detention has been extended for a further five days. The brothers have been accused of giving ‘subliminal messages’ to rally coup supporters in a television broadcast

Turkey: writers protest arrest of Ahmet and Mehmet Altan

English PEN – Sep 12, 4:28 AM

We the undersigned call upon democrats throughout the world, as well as those who care about the future of Turkey and the region in which it exerts a leading role, to protest the vendetta the government is waging against its brightest thinkers and

RSF urges Turkey to rescind draconian state of emergency decrees | Reporters without borders

RSF – Sep 19, 6:01 AM

Two months after responding to a coup attempt by declaring a state of emergency, the Turkish government continues to target journalists, pluralism and freedom of information. RSF is today publishing a report that details the many abuses and urges

Related posts:

1. Freedom of Expression in Turkey represented in a photo here:
2. Bayram work: Turkey slams Germany’s Spiegel magazine and US embassy in Turkey…
3. Turkey towards a police state with the proposed security bill AS the government attempts to confiscate Bank Asya…
4. While escalation of violence continues, State of Turkish Judiciary: the Prosecutor, hero of coup cases, flees to Georgia to escape arrest…
5. “The (Turkish) State has arrived”. Scenes after the curfew in Silvan… An EFD Rights Watch….

Vía Erkan’s Field Diary http://ift.tt/2dfCnUo

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