It is with great concern that the University of Bremen has been following current developments at institutions of higher education in Turkey. Concurring with statements issued by the German Rectors’ Conference and the European University Association , the leadership of the University of Bremen strongly condemns the Turkish government’s crackdown on the country’s intelligentsia and the serious interventions in academic freedom.

More than 15,000 academics employed in higher education have been suspended from duty, many of them having been arrested. The Turkish government has forbidden academics to travel abroad and ordered those already abroad to return. According to press reports, the Turkish Education Council has taken steps to remove all the country’s university deans and leadership from office. This suggests that members of universities across the country have been placed under general suspicion. The leadership of the University of Bremen wishes to express its solidarity with their persecuted colleagues in Turkey and totally supports the statement issued by Professor Horst Hippler (www.hrk.de), President of the German Rectors’ Conference.

The University of Bremen maintains intensive and successful cooperation with several universities in Turkey. It has close relations with many of the country’s scholars and scientists, and there is a lively student exchange between our institutions. Together with the European University Association, the University of Bremen calls upon all European governments and universities to take a stance against the current wave of repression sweeping across Turkey and to do everything they can to support a return to academic freedom.

Turkish students, scholars and researchers can contact the International Office for further information: +49 421 218-60360.

Leadership team of the University of Bremen

(1) With 850 members in 47 countries, the European University Association is the most important organization for universities in Europe. It represents and supports the interests of individual universities as well as of the university sector as a whole.

The following institutions have also expressed their grave concern about the present treatment of university members in Turkey (list may not be complete, linked texts in German only):

• Bremische Senatorin Prof. Eva Quante-Brandt
• Wissenschaftsministerin Nordrhein-Westfalen Svenja Schulze
• Landeskonferenz der Rektoren und Präsidenten der Berliner Hochschulen (LKRP)
• Interview mit der Niedersächsischen Wissenschaftsministerin sowie ein Statement von Prof. Dr.
  Wolfgang-Uwe Friedrich (Vorsitzender der Landeshochschulkonferenz Niedersachsen, Universitätspräsident in Hildesheim) (von Minute 1:54 bis 5:27)
• TU Dresden
• Alexander-von-Humboldt-Stiftung
• Leibniz-Universität Hannover
• Carl von Ossietzky-Universität Oldenburg
• TU Berlin
• Brandenburgische Technische Universität Cottbus-Senftenberg
• Philipps-Universität Marburg
• TU Braunschweig
• Ruhr-Universität Bochum
• Hochschule Niederrhein
• Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhems-Universität Bonn
• Universität Siegen
• Universität Koblenz Landau
• Universität des Saarlandes
• Universität zu Lübeck
• Universität Bielefeld
• Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf