Faculty of Law Dean Balkır Sentenced for Harassment at Work

Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Çakır from Kocaeli Universtiy (KOÜ) won his case against Prof. Zehra Gönül Balkır, Dean of the Faculty of Law, related to allegations of harassment at work.

On 14 July, the 4^th Magistrate Court of Kocaeli (east of Istanbul) decreed for a monetary fine of TL 3,000 (€ 1,500) in compensation to be paid by Balkır to complainant Çakır.

Assoc. Prof Çakır has been working at KOÜ since 1994. In his petition for the lawsuit he claimed that he had not been allowed to participate in a congress abroad because "he had taken an issue of personal hostility to court". He stated to have been exposed to "psychological pressure", to have been downgraded by the appointment from the Faculty of Law to a High School in Hereke and to have been threatened because he secured his PC with a codeword.

Çakır furthermore said that Balkır used her dissenting vote in order to prevent his appointment to participate an international congress in Kyrgyzstan in 2008. When he asked for the reason, Balkır apparently told Çakır that a letter had been sent to him, mentioning that "she voted this way because of personal hostility brought to court by Çakır".

Severe service mistake

In the reasoned decision, the court saw a "severe personal and service mistake" in Balkır's dissenting vote against the complainant and in accepting the same sort of vote related to another member of staff.

The court concluded that Balkır's actions constituted a negative influence on the complainant's career. The decision stated that Çakır would have to start all over again for a similar congress; the complainant was embarrassed in front of the congress board and his reputation was harmed in the eyes of international scientists since he was not able to deliver the presentations announced in brochures and books months before the congress. (SP/VK)