Vedat Demir

Vedat Demir (born April 5, 1966) is a former General Secretary of the Turkish Press Council and a former professor in the Department of Public Relations and Publicity at his alma mater, Istanbul University where he used to teach Political Communication, Media Ethics, and the Media and Policy Making.

Vedat Demir
BornApril 5,1966 (age 54–55)
Sinop, Turkey
NationalityTurkish
OccupationAcademician, writer, journalist

Early life and academic career

Prof. Vedat Demir was born on April 5, 1966 in Sinop, Turkey. Prof. Demir received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Marmara University and his PhD from Istanbul University, and taught in that university's Faculty of Communications. Between 2012–14, Professor Demir was visiting scholar of Communications at Ithaca College and Near Eastern Studies at Cornell University, in Ithaca, New York.[1]

He served as General Secretary of the Turkish Press Council from 2000–2003. As the former General Secretary of the Turkish Press Council, Vedat Demir has defended freedom of the press in Turkey throughout his academic and journalistic career.[2] His scholarship focuses on the role of media in democracy and shaping public opinion. He is the author of The Ethics of Media (2006), The Relationship Between Media and Politics in Turkey (2007), and Public Diplomacy and Soft Power (2012).

2016–17 Turkish purges

Demir has been an outspoken critic of the recent authoritarianism of the Turkish government, using his newspaper columns and television appearances to affirm democratic values, human rights, and rule of law.[3]

In 2015, a group of Turkish intellectuals, including Prof. Demir, started a petition campaign titled “Silence the Guns” calling for a reconciliation between the Turkish government and the Kurdish militants to end the ongoing civil war in Eastern Turkey.[4]

As a reaction to the government's seizure of critical newspapers and television stations in Turkey, Demir raised his voice in defense of press freedom and started writing at Yarına Bakış.[5] In his columns he has also been a fierce defender of academic freedom.

On July 20, 2016, Professor Demir along with 95 colleagues at Istanbul University, were suspended from their academic positions.[6]

In retaliation for his expression of academic opinions and journalistic activities, on July 24, the police took Demir into custody, searched both house and office, and detained him without stating charges.[7] During this period he was denied contact with his lawyer and family members.[8] On August 3, he was formally arrested and jailed on suspicions of being involved in the movement behind the coup d'état attempt in Turkey.[9] Demir has denied involvement in the movement,[10] and publicly denounced the July 15 coup attempt in his column.[11][12] As the State Department noted in its 2016 human rights report, thousands of Turkish academics and journalists were arrested after the attempted coup with fabricated evidence and little clarity on the charges.[13] On September 1, 2016, Demir was formally dismissed from his duties at Istanbul University with a state of emergency decree that sacked thousands of academics in Turkish universities.[14]

Seven months after his arrest, Prof. Demir was released from prison under judicial supervision with 5 other academics on February 14, 2016.[15]

References
  1. "Visiting Scholar-in-Residence – Dr. John Keshishoglou Center for Global Communications Innovation". Ithaca College. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
  2. "2016-07-24 Istanbul University". Academic Freedom Network. Scholar's at Risk. 2016-07-24. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
  3. Akyol, Mustafa (2016-09-17). "What to do about the journalists in jail?". Hurriyet Daily News. Retrieved 2017-03-26.
  4. Tafolar, Meric (2015-09-15). "Aydınlardan 'Silahlar sussun' kampanyası". Milliyet (in Turkish). Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  5. Elletson, Grace (2016-09-21). "Former IC visiting scholar imprisoned by Turkish government". The Ithacan. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
  6. Ruble, Kayla (July 20, 2016). "Turkey's latest reaction to coup attempt: ban academics from traveling". VICE News. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
  7. "31 academics detained over failed coup attempt". Hurriyet Daily News. 2016-07-25. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
  8. Salvatore, Nick (2016-08-10). "Difficult Circumstances For Prof. Demir". Ithaca Times. Retrieved 2017-01-07.
  9. "2 Professors Arrested at İstanbul University". Bianet English. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
  10. "Vedat Demir on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
  11. Demir, Vedat (2016-07-17). "Eli kanlı darbecilere karşı meşrû iktidarın yanındayım". Yarina Bakis (in Turkish). Retrieved 2017-01-08.
  12. "Communications Scholar from Istanbul University Jailed As Participant in Turkish Coup". Committee of Concerned Scientists. 2016-10-31. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
  13. "Turkey 2016 Human Rights Report" (PDF). U.S. Department of State. 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-03-07. Retrieved 2017-03-24.
  14. "Thousands of public employees sacked with latest decree in Turkey". Hurriyet Daily News. 2016-09-02. Retrieved 2017-05-13.
  15. "6 akademisyen tahliye edildi". Cumhuriyet (in Turkish). 2017-02-17. Retrieved 2017-05-31.
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