Vedat Demir
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vedat Demir | |
|---|---|
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| Born | April 5,1966 (age 59–60) |
| Education | Marmara University, Istanbul University |
| Occupations | Academician, writer, journalist |
Vedat Demir (born April 5, 1966) is a visiting professor at the Free University of Berlin.[1] He formerly served as the General Secretary of the Turkish Press Council and was a professor at his alma mater, Istanbul University, before he was targeted and imprisoned by the Turkish government.
2016–17 Turkish purges
Prof. Vedat Demir was born on April 5, 1966, in Sinop, Turkey. He received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Marmara University and his PhD from Istanbul University, where he taught political communication, media ethics and policy making between 2010 and 2016. He was a visiting scholar of Communications at Ithaca College and Near Eastern Studies at Cornell University, in Ithaca, New York, between 2012 and 2014.[2]
Demir formerly served as General Secretary of the Turkish Press Council from 2000 to 2003. As the former General Secretary of the Turkish Press Council, he has defended freedom of the press in Turkey throughout his academic and journalistic career.[3] His scholarship focuses on the role of media in democracy and shaping public opinion
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.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6] In his columns he has also been a fierce defender of academic freedom.
In retaliation for his expression of academic opinions and journalistic activities, on July 20, 2016, Professor Demir along with 95 colleagues at Istanbul University, were suspended from their academic positions.[7] On August 3, he was arrested and jailed.[8][9] 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.[10]
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.[11]
Seven months after his arrest, Prof. Demir was released from prison under judicial supervision on February 14, 2017.[12]
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled on June 25, 2024, that Demir's detention constituted a violation of his rights, condemning Türkiye.[13] After a trial lasting approximately nine years, on February 6, 2025, the Istanbul 14th High Criminal Court acquitted Demir.[14]
Books
- 2025 (co-editör with C. Richter) The Public Diplomacy of Authoritarian Regimes. Palgrave Macmillan.[15]
- 2012 Kamu Diplomasisi ve Yumuşak Güç [Public Diplomacy and Soft Power]. Beta.[15]
- 2007 Türkiye’de Medya Siyaset İlişkisi [The Relationship Between Media and Politics in Turkey]. Beta.[15]
- 2007 (co-editör with P. Yayınoğlu) İletişim Yansımaları-Uygulamalar, Gerçekler [The Echoes of Communication: Principles, Applications, Realities]. Anahtar.[15]
- 2006 Medya Etiği [The Ethics of Media]. Beta.[15]
- 2005 (co-editor with Z. Avşar). Düzenleme ve Uygulamalarla Medyada Denetim [The Supervision of Media with Regulation and Application]. Piramit.[15]
- 1998 Türkiye’de Medya ve Özdenetimi [Media and Moderation in Turkey]. İletişim.[15]
References
- ↑ "Prof. Dr. Vedat Demir - Department of Political and Social Sciences". Freie Universität Berlin. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
- ↑ "Visiting Scholar-in-Residence – Dr. John Keshishoglou Center for Global Communications Innovation". Ithaca College. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
- ↑ "2016-07-24 Istanbul University". Academic Freedom Network. Scholar's at Risk. 2016-07-24. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
- ↑ Akyol, Mustafa (2016-09-17). "What to do about the journalists in jail?". Hurriyet Daily News. Retrieved 2017-03-26.
- ↑ Tafolar, Meric (2015-09-15). "Aydınlardan 'Silahlar sussun' kampanyası". Milliyet (in Turkish). Retrieved 2017-03-27.
- ↑ Elletson, Grace (2016-09-21). "Former IC visiting scholar imprisoned by Turkish government". The Ithacan. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
- ↑ Ruble, Kayla (July 20, 2016). "Turkey's latest reaction to coup attempt: ban academics from traveling". VICE News. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
- ↑ "2 Professors Arrested at İstanbul University". Bianet English. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
- ↑ "Communications Scholar from Istanbul University Jailed As Participant in Turkish Coup". Committee of Concerned Scientists. 2016-10-31. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "Thousands of public employees sacked with latest decree in Turkey". Hurriyet Daily News. 2016-09-02. Retrieved 2017-05-13.
- ↑ "6 akademisyen tahliye edildi". Cumhuriyet (in Turkish). 2017-02-17. Retrieved 2017-05-31.
- ↑ {{Cite news|url=https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/tur#%7B%22itemid%22:%5B%22001-234413%22%5D%7D}
- ↑ {{Cite news|url=https://www.boldmedya.com/tag/vedat-demir-beraat/}
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Prof. Dr. Vedat Demir". Freie Universität Berlin. Department of Political and Social Sciences, International Communication. Archived from the original on 2025-10-27. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
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