Recently, Turkey had a military coup against their “democratically elected” president, Recep Tayyip Erdagon. The circumstances of the coup are still very muddled, some claiming the president staged the tanks that appeared on the streets, which many military figures claim didn’t even know a coup was happening until the tanks appeared on the streets. Whether the military coup was real or not, what is very real is the consequences of said coup. President Erdagon has claimed a three-month session of emergency powers under Article 120 of the Turkish constitution that has granted him near complete power, turning Turkey just short of a dictatorship overnight. And with his newfound power, President Erdagon has begun a witch hunt that has directly attacked free speech and academic freedom.
President Erdagon has begun this witch hunt to purge supporters of Fethullah Gulen, a cleric living in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania, who has previously been a vocal critic of President Erdagon. With this mission in mind, President Erdagon has eliminated almost all opposition and is well on the way turning Turkey’s democracy into a one-party political system (which is just another fancy way of saying a dictatorship). Over 60,000 people, including police, journalists, high-ranking military figures, judges, and most prominently of all, 21,000 academic teachers and professors. This is a man who, like any radical leader who infringes on personal freedom and autonomy, has no tolerance of opposition. This is a man who banned a German comedian from reading a satire about President Erdagon from ever reading it again.
Turkish Universities are chosen through a democratic process that usually allows for academic freedom in this country, but under Article 120, all of what universities can say, publish or hire is now in complete governmental control. President Erdagon made thousands of professors resign or face the legal consequences of treason. These are targets against specific professors who have ever criticized President Erdagon, from things as little as President Erdagon’s economics. To make matters worse, President Erdagon is now preventing any academic figures from leaving the country. Many of the professors’ advisors have told them that they need to cancel any future plans for vacations.
This is creating an environment with very little academic freedom. It is beginning to look like if any professor wants to keep their job, they have to be in complete accordance with the views of the government, whether that's in what they say, their research, or what they teach. Some in the academic circles have called for a ban on Turkish Universities as being credited as established institutions. Others argue against this, like William Jacobson, who stated, “I draw upon my own experience studying in the Soviet Union. That experience showed me that academic interaction even with the most repressive regimes was a lifeline to those struggling for freedom.”
With every passing day, this three-month emergency session is looking to become prolonged, possibly permanent, as President Erdagon alludes to extending his complete seizure of powers. If this does turn into a full-on dictatorship, it will be no surprise. All fascist regimes always begin by winning over the people and eliminating the opposition, which more times than not is the academic circles. And if the shoe fits… Only time will tell.
