‘Purge’ of academics follows failed Turkey coup as thousands fired
Supporters of the 4800 academics who have been dismissed say the move is to remove those critical of the president
The Turkish government has now fired more than 4800 academics from universities in a series of five emergency decrees issued between September 2016 and February 2017. The decrees follow the failed coup on 15 July that left more than 200 people dead. On top of this, over 200 students have been expelled and 15 universities closed down, according to the international academic freedom network Scholars at Risk (Sar).