Turk pressure seen in nix of Ivy panel

The abrupt postponement of a Columbia University panel on the rule of law in Turkey left sidelined participants charging Thursday that pressure from the regime of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan influenced the school’s decision.

Panelist Alp Aslandogan, a vocal critic of the government in his homeland, said there was no issue with the event until the past few days — convincing him the Turkish government put the squeeze on college officials.

“The only reasonable theory that makes sense is Turkish diplomats intervened,” said Aslandogan, a close associate of exiled Turkish cleric/Erdogan nemesis Fethullah Gulen. “I can only speculate what they said, that I am a part of a terrorist network. They are trying to intimidate institutions by using that kind of terminology.”

Steven Cook, the scheduled moderator of the session, felt the lastsecond decision reeked of outside interference.

“Either the Turkish government or supporters of the government affiliated with the university,” said Cook, senior fellow for Middle East and Africa studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. “Put two and two and two together, and this is where we end up.”

The university denied the decision was influenced by Erdogan or his acolytes, insisting the choice was made because the panel lacked “the diverse perspectives required for our participation,” said Sarah Cleveland, faculty co-director of the Human Rights Institute at Columbia Law School.

“Objections by a government whose policies are being critically examined would never affect the Human Rights Institute’s participation in any forum and played no role in our decision,” she added.