Tag: academic freedom

Another Academic Faces Prison In Turkey, This Time For A Test Question About Öcalan

By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor

Resat Baris Unlu
Resat Baris Unlu

Three weeks ago, we featured an article describing the plight of dozens of academics who faced arrest after signing a peace petition. These advocates were declared enemies of the Republic of Turkey. Now President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government will put on trial a Turkish professor who placed onto an exam questions referencing PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan.

Ankara University professor Resat Baris Unlu faces charges for spreading “terrorist propaganda” after presenting his students a question comparing two documents written by the founder of the proscribed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) who is currently serving a life sentence.

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Cameron Government Moves To Impose Speech Code On English Universities

David_Cameron_official150px-royal_coat_of_arms_of_the_united_kingdom-svgA proposed British law creates a serious threat to academic freedom and free speech. The law seeks to force universities to take action to stop young people being exposed to extremist ideas and speakers. The law is consistent with a trend toward greater speech regulation in the West As I discussed in column yesterday in the Washington Post.

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