Turkey‘s feuding political factions are embroiled in a row over academic freedom after state officials forced a science journal to scrap an article celebrating the work of Charles Darwin.

Bilim ve Teknik (Science and Technology) withdrew the 16-page feature from this month’s issue under orders from its publisher, the state-run Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Council (Tubitak). The magazine’s editor, Cigdem Atakuman, was also sacked for “exceeding her authority” by commissioning the article, which Tubitak said was “not planned or scientifically evaluated beforehand”.

The incident has prompted accusations of censorship from academics and opposition politicians, who accuse the Islamist-rooted Justice and Development party government of trying to impose religious ideas on academic institutions. It has also led to renewed warnings from European officials that continued restrictions on freedom of speech could harm Turkey’s drive for EU membership.

The government has denied playing any role in the article’s withdrawal and has set aside its well-known opposition to evolutionary theory to join in the condemnation. Minister of state Mehmet Aydin, who is responsible for overseeing Tubitak, said the body had been guilty of censorship, - but still implicitly criticised Darwinism in his statement. “Tubitak is supposed to reflect the views of all those who have served science,” he said. “No matter how mistaken they can be.”

Read the full article | Print this article