Turkish academic dismissed from university three times despite court orders

Hacı Bişkin / DUVAR

Anadolu University has dismissed the academician Barış Işık from the Faculty of Law three times over allegedly being a member of the “Masonic, FETOist, Marxist” organization.

Although courts ordered reinstatement for Işık twice, the university dismissed Işık for the third time.

The university did not renew Işık's contract in September 2019 on the grounds that he supposedly was "in action with terrorist organizations" and "acted in disgraceful activities." 

Işık later learned that the university launched an investigation against him. In the administrative investigation, it was said that there was an organization called “Masonic-FETÖist-Marxist front” and that many academics were members of this organization. FETÖ is the abbreviation for the Gülen network, which Ankara refers as the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ).

According to the university administration, Işık was one of the academics who were members of this organization. Upon these developments, Işık applied to the court. An Eskişehir court canceled the dismissal of Işık one year later on the grounds that the opinion of the faculty administrative board was not taken and an unlawful action was taken.

The university, on the other hand, did not renew the contract of Işık for the second time in December 2020, this time taking a decision from the board, dismissing Işık again.

Işık filed an annulment lawsuit in the administrative court against his second expulsion from the university. An Eskişehir court issued a second reinstatement decision for Işık, emphasizing that the allegations of “failed in his duty, academically incompetent and undisciplined” were not concrete and objective. 

After the court decision, Işık was reinstated. However, Işık was exposed to mobbing this time. Işık's contract was not renewed for the third time after 10 months, on Sep. 30, 2022, on the grounds that “there is no need for the chair.”

Işık stated that his third dismissal was also against the law and said: " As an academic working at the Faculty of Law, I cannot understand this unlawfulness. The court decided in my favor and the university terminated my job on the same grounds. The situation has become very sad and very tragicomic. I am in a state of amazement."

(English version by Alperen Şen)