2 Suspended Academics from Gazi, Cumhuriyet Universities Describe Their Experiences

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Of the signees of the Academics for Peace “We Will Not Be a Party to this Crime” declaration, two academics at Gazi University and three academics at Cumhuriyet University were suspended.

Assoc. Professor Dr. Kemal İnal is a faculty member of nine years at the Department of Communications at Gazi University and he has been an academic for 27 years. Prof. Dr. Ali Çeliksöz has been a faculty member for 23 years at the Department of Medicine at Cumhuriyet University.

Both academics described their suspension decisions to bianet. They said they did not know what exactly their suspension decisions were based on.

After the July 15 coup attempt, under the scope of university investigations, 20 signees from Eskişehir University, two from Tunceli University, two from Hakkari University, and 10 to-be signees and 34 signees from Van Yüzüncü Yıl University were suspended from their positions. On August 9, the Van Yüzüncü Yıl University academics were returned to their positions.

İnal: I’m surprised, I don’t know what happened

At Gazi University 178 personnel, 124 of whom were academics, were suspended from their positions. Among others, after signing the declaration, Dr. İnal and Associate Professor Dr. Betül Yarar had threatening notes pasted to their offices.

Kemal İnal, having removed his signature from the declaration, had an investigation opened about him about this.

An announcement was made on August 9 about his suspension.

“In the announcement the 137 articles related to grounding for suspension out of the 657-article civil servant code.

“There wasn’t any information about what we were guilty of. I submitted a petition yesterday (August 11) within the information acquisition framework to learn what the reason behind the charge was.

“I’m surprised, I don’t know what happened. When they open the investigation, I will learn what the charge is.

“I’m a member of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), the party’s lawyers are interested in the subject. Once they open the investigation and the charge is learned we will do what we need to do.

Çeliksöz: Students are there, but we aren’t. How’s that going to happen?

Ali Çeliksöz only saw the result of the investigation launched against him for signing the declaration when he received the decision for two months suspension  issued on August 8.

The decision reported that because of good conduct, he will not be removed from public office but will be ineligible for automatic promotion for three years and he will remain suspended until the council has decided about his case.

In the same document, it was shown that he was suspended from his office in accordance with article 4 of the statutory decree number 677 issued within State of Emergency (OHAL), regulating “Measures Concerning Public Officials,” and with article 137 and 140 of the law number 657 which regulates suspension from service.

Çelikgöz said that the university has nothing to do with this issue anymore as six months have passed since the investigation and his file has been sent to the YÖK (Council of Higher Education).

He has drawn attention to the fact that the suspension decision was made on the exact day on which Prof. Dr. Alim Yıldız came to the position of chancellor even though he came in second place in the university elections.

The suspension decision will hurt his students as much as it will hurt him, he said:

“For six and a half months there wasn’t anything, we were in our positions. The schools are going to open, our masters students, we have classes but we aren’t there. How is that going to happen? From my point of view and also from my students’ point of view, it’s bad. Hopefully we come back from this error as soon as possible.” (BK/KT)