BY EVRİM KEPENEK
Arrested for ‘solicitation of minor’ in US, man is now a department head in Turkey
"We don't want molester, rapist academics at universities"
Click to read the article in Turkish
Assoc. Prof. Abdussamed K. is reportedly the head of the Psychology Department of Marmara University in İstanbul despite being arrested for "online solicitation of a minor" in the United States (US).
As reported by the PsychResearch website on April 16, 2015, K. engaged in an online chat with an individual who was represented to him as an underage female (minor). The online discussion between him and the minor turned sexual in nature and led K. to travel to her house for sexual purposes.
However, K. did not know that he was actually talking to an an undercover police officer posing as a minor online during an undercover sting operation to identify individuals using the Internet to meet and solicit minors for sex. When he arrived at the minor's house, he was arrested for "online solicitation of a minor", which is a felony offense in the state of Texas.
He was then sent to the Harris County jail.
As reported by the local press, "the Homeland Security Investigations, Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Houston Police Department, Harris County Sheriff's Office, Harris County PCT 4 Constable's Office, and Harris County DA Investigators were all involved in an undercover operation that led to the arrests and charges of 12 people for online solicitation of a minor over the weekend on Monday, March 30, 2015, in Houston."
Around the same time, a Houston-based website also reported that "a Houston physician who was among a dozen men accused of soliciting children for sex has been suspended by the Texas Medical Board."
According to these news, "the Texas Physician-in-Training permit of Abdussamed K., M.D., was temporarily suspended without notice."
With his permit suspended in the US, K. has reportedly come back to Turkey and has been appointed as the Head of Psychology Department at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences of Marmara University.
He uses short version of his name
A psychologist whom we prefer not to name says, "We are tired of helping the lives wrecked by these men to self-heal. How is it possible that this man has been appointed as the head of a department?"
At the website of Marmara University, it is seen that the name of Abdussamed K. is written in a short form as "Samed K."
When the pictures are compared, it is seen that while he had short hair in the news about his arrest and suspension from profession for "online solicitation of a minor", his current picture is with long hair and glasses, which raises suspicions about a possible attempt of disguise.
When we called the fixed phone number on the webpage to ask questions about these allegations, there was no one who answered our calls. (EMK/SD)
Editor of bianet Women’s News (2018). Editor of bianet Women’s and LGBTI+ News from October 2018 to February 2025. She conducts workshops on gender-focused journalism and reporting on gender-based violence. She is among the founders of the Women and LGBTI+ Commission of the Journalists’ Union of Turkey (TGS). She is a board member of the TGS Istanbul Branch for the 2023–2027 term. She received the Musa Anter Journalism Award in 2011 and the Turkish Psychiatric Association’s Best News Award in 2024. She worked as a reporter for Cumhuriyet, BirGün, İMC TV, DİHA, Jinha, and Jin News, and also worked for local newspapers in Rize. Her news reports and articles have been published in Sivil Sayfalar, Yeşil Gazete, Journo, and trade magazines. She is one of the founding writers of GOR, a Hemşin culture magazine. She contributed writings to the books Yeşilden Maviye Karadenizden Kadın Portreleri, Sırtında Sepeti, and Medya ve Yalanlar. She was a bianet intern in 2000. She graduated from the Department of International Relations at Istanbul Bilgi University.
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