JINHA

KOCAELİ – Today, dozens of academics across Turkey were detained in morning raids on their homes and offices. As university rectors dismissed and launched investigations into other academics, fascist groups left threatening messages on office doors.

1,128 academics in Turkey recently called on the Turkish state to immediately stop the curfews, blockades and attacks that have killed hundreds of civilians in the Kurdistan region. After Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called the academics “traitors,” a veritable witch-hunt has begun in Turkey, with an official investigation begun against all 1,128 of the signing academics.

In Bolu province, anti-terror police squads executed morning raids on the homes of three academics. Police also conducted a sweeping search of the academics’ offices and analyzed their computers. In Bursa province, three academics from Bursa Uludağ University were detained when police raided their offices.

18 academics employed by Kocaeli University were also detained this morning by police, then sent to court. When the crowd who gathered at the courthouse in support of the academics were insulted from a passing car, an argument broke out and police attacked the supporters, detaining four.

Across Turkey, local fascist groups left threatening flyers on the doors of many academics’ offices, saying, “we don’t want this PKK supporter at our university.” At Konya Selçuk University, red “X” marks were left on the offices of signing academics.

Antep University, Gaziantep University and Mersin University are among the universities that have begun internal disciplinary investigations into signing academics.

Meanwhile, Istanbul Arel University’s rector dismissed seven academics who signed the statement.

(gc/cm)