FAREWELL TO MARMARA UNIVERSITY

Prof Dr Özdemir Aktan, former chair of the Turkish Medical Union who was expelled from Marmara University under a decree with the force of law, said, ‘This is not a departure but an interlude.’ Aktan commented, ‘The most upsetting thing is for us to have been expelled for wishing for peace, human rights and a more democratic country.’
Aktan, who has completed forty years in the profession, depicted the state of the country as follows: ‘We are in depression as a country. When we look around us, everyone is dejected, motivation is low and nobody wants to do anything.’ Aktan says that, in spite of everything, ‘There is no life without hope.’