Mert Mercan, a cardiovascular surgeon, announced his resignation from his job at Marmara University in Turkey in the past few days.
Mercan had been working on a research aimed to prolong the life expectancy of patients who need to undergo by-pass surgeries. His research proposes the use of brachial artery instead of the leg veins in surgeries since they are more stable. The research also proposes a model to prevent possible topognosis and loss of motion in the arm after the relevant arteries are removed.
Mercan reported that he submitted his research paper for a peer-reviewed journal, and yet he learned his paper was rejected because of 'inappropriate content'.
When he questioned the reason behind this decision, the university board replied that his research paper includes content that would "put them in a difficult situation". Ömer Günal, the dean of the faculty, replied that Mercan made use of the theory of evolution "too much" and they would "have trouble in a period like this" if they publish his paper.
Mercan commented that not publishing a scientific research paper because of political reasons have nothing to do with scientific perspective. He said "there have to be people who are not afraid of promoting the theory of evolution" and that he will turn back his position at the university, but not at Marmara University.
During the rule of the AKP government in Turkey, an unprecedented war has been waged against the theory of evolution.
The government has recently removed all content regarding the theory of evolution from the high school curriculum.
At the Natural History Museum in Ankara, Turkey, the texts based on the theory of evolution was also censored last month. The primate evolution section of the museum had been dismantled in 2016.
The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) had ceased publishing popular science books on the theory of evolution in the mid-2000s.