A new decree law ordering the dismissal of 4,464 public servants was issued by the Turkish government on Tuesday; the dismissals included 330 academics.
It has emerged that half of the 330 academics purged with the new decree law signed the peace declaration criticising curfews in predominantly Kurdish southeastern districts in 2015 and early 2016.
The peace declaration, signed by over 1,100 academics from 90 universities, had called on the government to stop military operations by security forces in southeastern Turkey, restart peace talks with Kurdish parties and return the country to peace.
The new decree has led to the dismissal of 34 academics from Ankara University, 22 from Marmara University, 15 from Yıldız Technical University, 18 from Anadolu University, two academics each from Adnan Menderes University, Cukurova University, Dogus University, Giresun University, Bilim University and Uludag University and one each from Ataturk University, Balikesir University, Bartin University, Beykent University, Bingol University, Dumlupinar University, Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Igdir University, Ayvansaray University, Yeni Yuzyil University, Kırıkkale University, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University and Trakya University.
The dismissals of academics has been criticised by the opposition but also supporters of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
Pro-government journalist Yildiray Ogur posted on twitter that “the dismissal of academics like Ibrahim Kaboglu, Yuksel Taskin who have laboured for years for the academy for signing a declaration is an injustice.”
Another pro-goverment journalist, Yusuf Kaplan posted on twitter saying, “Now I am angry! People who don’t have a stain on their names have been dismissed. They have no relationship with FETO [Gulenist Terrorist Organisation]! No! Who is responsible for this cleansing? They’re undermining Erdogan!”