Hundreds of academics have signed a letter hitting out at the treatment of academics in Turkey after a British scholar was deported from the country despite having lived there for 25 years.

Chris Stephenson, a lecturer in computer science at Bilgi University in Istanbul, was flown back to the UK on 16 March just a day after his arrest outside a courthouse where he was supporting three fellow academics accused of ¡°spreading terrorist propaganda¡±. He that he can return to the country.

The defendants were among more than 1,000 Turkish academics who signed a letter in January criticising government military action against Kurdish rebels in south-east Turkey.

A total of 1,406 academics from 62 countries have now signed a further letter, published in this week¡¯s Times Higher Education, calling on the international community to urge Turkey¡¯s government to ¡°stop the witch-hunt¡± against dissident academics, ¡°respect academic freedom, free the arrested academics, and reinstate all the academics suspended or expelled during the persecution campaign with compensation¡±.

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Almost 800 academics who signed the Academics for Peace letter in January have faced action either by their university, state authorities or both, the letter adds. Thirty-eight staff have been dismissed, 29 suspended and 531 face an administrative investigation, claims the letter in this week¡¯s THE.

The arrests, dismissals and deportations are seen as part of a crackdown on academics and journalists critical of Turkey¡¯s president, Recep Tayyip Erdo?an.

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President Erdo?an?said last week that he wants to ¡°redefine¡± Turkish law to cover those who support terrorism, including academics and journalists. But critics claim that this is an attempt to silence voices critical of the long-standing political leader.

Mr Stephenson, who lists himself on as editor of the website, was accused of handing out propaganda for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers¡¯ Party (PKK).

But he claims that security guards simply found in his bag?leaflets that were issued by a Kurdish political party, which has numerous MPs in parliament, inviting people to a Kurdish New Year¡¯s festival.

A reference to Kurdish self-determination and a small picture of a barricade were deemed to constitute propaganda, said Mr Stephenson. Before boarding a flight at Istanbul airport, Mr Stephenson told Associated Press that there had been ¡°no offence, no trial, just an administrative decision to deport me after 25 years¡¯ of residency in Turkey¡±.

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On 18 March, Mr Stephenson, who has a Turkish wife and a 13-year-old daughter, told the BBC World Service that he was being allowed to travel back to the country.

His lawyer described his treatment as ¡°very scary and wrong¡±, while the three academics supported by Mr Stephenson ¨C Esra Mungan of Bo?azi?i University, K?van? Ersoy of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, and Muzaffer Kaya, formerly of Ni?anta?? University ¨C remain in custody.

jack.grove@tesglobal.com