18 Administrative, Academic Members From Celal Bayar University Arrested

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As part of the operations in carried out against the Fethullah Gülen Community following the coup attempt on July 15, 18 university staff of Celal Bayar University (CBÜ) have been arrested in Manisa including the former rector of the University, Mehmet Pakdemirli.

Within the investigation, 102 academic and administrative members were suspended and 25 of these were detained.

18 persons among those detained have been arrested and seven have been released on probation. With the last 18 arrests taken into account, 35 administrative and academic members at least in six universities have been taken into custody in total until now.

Before this, Rector of Hakkari University Prof. Dr. Ebubekir Ceylan; the suspended Rector of Dicle University Prof. Dr. Ayşegül Jale Saraç; 12 academics on duty in Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University; seven academics, including the former Rector of Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart Üniversitesi (ÇOMÜ) Prof. Dr. Sedat Laçiner, as well as two lecturing Professors from İstanbul University had been arrested.

25 detentions, 18 arrests

The 25 persons in custody were brought to the courthouse in the early hours of September 9. Following the questioning by the prosecution, they were referred to the court.

According to the report of the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), the board of judges ruled on August 10 that 18 persons among the 25 brought before court should be arrested on charges of “attempting to overthrow The Republic of Turkey and the Grand National Assembly of Turkey [TBMM], founding and leading a terrorist organization, being a member of an armed terrorist organization and attempting to rule out the constitutional order”.

The names of those arrested are: CBÜ University Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Pakdemirli, Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Erdoğan Özkaya, Faculty Secretary Beytullah Taş, Asst. Prof. Mehmet Günay, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ersel Obuz, Asst. Prof. Ömer Faruk Noyan, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rıza Bağcı, Asst. Prof. Salahaddin Akça, Asst. Prof. Tarık Uluçay, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Bilgehan Yüksel, Asst. Dr. Gökmen Bilgili, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Ökmen, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Harun Çoban, Department Director Yunus Uygun, Assoc. Dr. Mehmet Göral, Mehmet Uzkut, Mustafa Yıldırım and Salim Şahin

Secretary General Hayati Turhal, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muhiddin Bağcı, Asst. Prof. Dr. Murat Özsaraç, Salih Can, Ali Avcı, Yalçın Gölcük and Assoc. Prof.Dr. Zafer Akan have been released on probation. (BK/DG)