German court rules in favor of dismissed Turkish instructor

ISTANBUL

A German court has ruled in favor of a Turkish instructor who was dismissed from her position at the police academy over her statements on alleged racism among far-right police officers in Germany.

The court deemed the non-renewal of Bahar Aslan's employment contract at the academy, which was based on her criticism of the German police, as unlawful.

Consequently, until the court case is definitively resolved, it was decided that Aslan should be allowed to return to her position at the academy.

Aslan, who taught "intercultural competence" courses at a police academy in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, was dismissed from her job in May as her annual employment contract was not renewed after she spoke out on social media about the racism some police officers exhibited towards foreigners.

“Some far-right police officers in Germany conduct racially motivated checks on foreigners. My friends and I get experience anxiety when we are in a police check,” she said in a social media post, adding that such acts become a source of fear for foreigners living in Germany.

The police academy argued that Aslan's employment contract would not be renewed, citing that her statements made her unsuitable to impart unbiased and well-founded ideas to both police officer candidates and future administrative officials.

In response to the recent court's decision, Aslan expressed that she looks forwards to returning to her job, emphasizing the need to refocus on delivering high-quality education.