Fifteen Turkish universities ‘shut down’ after failed coup

The Turkish government has closed down 15 universities over the past year because of their alleged links to the Gülen movement, according to reports.

The Gazete Duvar website said 66,000 students have had to find somewhere else to continue their degrees as a result.

Turkey is still in a state of emergency after a failed coup in July 2016, which president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan blames on a US-based cleric named Fethullah Gülen.

The government has detained more than 120,000 people who it says are linked to the Gülen movement, which has denied being involved in the coup.

Universities in Istanbul, Izmir, Bursa and Diyarbakır are among those that have been closed down during the purge. Earlier this month, an international charity has said that an ‘unprecedented’ number of academics have been sacked since last year’s failed military coup.

Last month the Turkish National Security Council, which is chaired by Mr Erdogan, decided to extend the post-coup state of emergency for another three months.

holly.else@timeshighereducation.com