Universal Periodic Review submissions on academic freedom in Turkey

Scholars at Risk (SAR) have filed their submissions on the state of academic freedom in Turkey in the context of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) before the UN Human Rights Council. These submissions have been drafted in collaboration with Ghent University’s human rights law legal clinic.  

In these submissions, the unprecedented attacks on higher education in Turkey in the aftermath of the publication of the January 2016 Academic for Peace petition and the July 2016 coup attempt are highlighted. These attacks include wrongful prosecution and imprisonment, dismissals and travel restrictions imposed on scholars and closure of universities. SAR urges UN member states to call on Turkey to publicly affirm its commitment to academic freedom.   

The submissions are part of a broader project, in collaboration with SAR, on academic freedom in the context of our legal clinical programme. You can find the submissions here and a separate press release by SAR here.