Turkish Academy of Sciences fights government changes

Science : Turkey’s government has decreed that the Turkish Academy of Sciences (known by its Turkish abbreviation TÜBA) will no longer choose all its own members. From now on, the government will directly appoint one-third of new academy members. Another one-third will be appointed by the government-controlled Council of Higher Education. As Martin Enserink reports for Science, the academy’s president Yücel Kanpolat is campaigning against the decree. He wrote an open letter to the International Human Rights Network of Academies and Scholarly Societies, which sent a letter to Turkey’s prime minister Recep ErdoÄan in response. The letter’s second paragraph reads as follows:

Because one of the charges of our Network is to support sister academies whose independence is threatened, we write, with all due respect, to tell you we are deeply distressed to learn of the recent government decree that appears to restructure TÜBA and effectively remove its independence. (Because we are certain that other science organizations will share our qualms, we are posting this letter on our website.) In writing, it is our sincere hope that you will understand our concern and use your.good offices to quickly reverse this legislation and support and strengthen TÜBA. A healthy and independent science academy can do much to help Turkey produce good science and profit from its benefits.