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Turkish officials have strongly condemned Harvard University following the departure of Turkish historian Cemal Kafadar and his associate director, Rosie Bsheer, from their leadership roles at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies. The removals, reportedly due to accusations of anti-Israel bias, have sparked outrage in Ankara, with senior government figures characterizing the decision as an attack on academic freedom.
“Labeling every voice that speaks out about the crimes against humanity committed by the Netanyahu regime in Gaza as ‘hate’ is part of a strategy to obscure the truth,” Turkish Education Minister Yusuf Tekin declared in a statement. He accused Harvard of suppressing dissenting views and claimed the move was driven by external pressure. “This decision is the latest in an effort to surrender the independence of universities to the Zionist power mechanism,” he added.
Harvard’s interim dean of social sciences, David Cutler, announced the leadership transition in an email to center affiliates, stating that Kafadar would step down at the end of the academic year. Bsheer, a historian specializing in the Middle East, will also relinquish her administrative duties but is expected to remain in her faculty position.
Erol Özvar, head of Turkey's Council of Higher Education, and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) spokesperson Ömer Çelik joined the wave of criticism against Harvard. Çelik described the university’s decision as an “attack on freedom of thought, conscience and the universal values of universities.”
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Harvard has come under increasing scrutiny from the U.S. federal government over allegations of antisemitism on campus. Faculty members suggested that Kafadar and Bsheer’s departures were politically motivated, reflecting growing external pressures on academic institutions.
Meanwhile, a U.S. federal court has issued a temporary injunction preventing the deportation of Turkish doctoral student Rumeysa Öztürk, who was arrested in Massachusetts after expressing support for Palestinian protests on campus. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accused Öztürk of “engaging in activities in support of Hamas,” but no public evidence has been presented to substantiate the claim.
Öztürk, 30, was detained on March 25 by masked federal agents in an incident caught on video and widely circulated online. In the footage, Öztürk is heard yelling as she is handcuffed, while a bystander questions the agents for concealing their faces. The arrest has drawn sharp criticism from human rights organizations and legal experts, who argue that Öztürk’s detention raises serious concerns about the criminalization of political speech.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts ruled that Öztürk cannot be removed from the country while her case is under review. “To allow the court’s resolution of its jurisdiction to decide the petition, Öztürk shall not be removed from the United States until further order of this court,” the order stated.
Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry has also weighed in on the case, with spokesperson Öncü Keçeli confirming that diplomatic efforts to secure Öztürk’s release are ongoing. “Our embassy in Washington and the relevant consulates general are providing all kinds of consular services and legal support,” he said.
The developments at Harvard and the Öztürk case have further strained relations between Türkiye and the U.S., as Turkish officials continue to push back against what they perceive as growing hostility toward pro-Palestinian voices in American academia.