Last week should have been the summer school in Sirince, Turkey, on the subject of Algebra and Model Theory. This school is an annual event, and is financially supported by TUBITAK, the highest research institute of Turkey, the Turkish Mathematical Society, and various universities. You can see photographs of this idyllic event here. However this year it was closed down by the local authorities; one of the reasons given was “Education Without Permission”.
Worse, the event’s organiser, the distinguished mathematician and teacher Ali Nesin, has been arrested, and now faces criminal charges in Turkey. Alexandre Borovik is organising a campaign and a petition against this action here. I encourage everyone to sign it.
