Academic under investigation over 'earthquake' remarks during class
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Yalova University in northwestern Turkey has opened an administrative investigation into a lecturer because of remarks about the February 6 earthquakes during an online class.
The academic, identified with the initials Ç.K., said during a class on March 10, "The people were in a terrible situation. They needed shelter and water, and the government could not provide these," according to a video circulating on social media.
He also praised Haluk Levent, a renowned singer who leads the AHBAP charity group, which gained prominence after the quakes.
Releasing a written statement about the issue, the rector's office said the academic was under investigation for their remarks "containing disinformation."
All universities across Turkey switched to online education after the quakes in an effort to resettle survivors.
The earthquakesOn February 6, two earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.7 and 7.6 struck the southern city of Maraş. The first quake in the Pazarcık district at 4.17 a.m. was followed by the second one in Elbistan about nine hours later. The quakes affected 11 cities in Türkiye's south and southeast, as well as Syria's northern parts, where over 5,000 people have died. Türkiye's death toll from the quakes stands at over 45,000 and is expected to increase further, as over 160,000 buildings were destroyed or severely damaged, according to government figures. Nearly two million people have been displaced due to the earthquakes. |
(AS/VK)