Mahmut Akpinar is an Associate Professor of Political Science who used to work as a lecturer at Turgut Ozal University in Ankara, which was shut down by the Turkish government. He taught Turkish politics, Middle Eastern politics, Turkish political history, public administration and bureaucracy at both undergraduate and graduate levels. His articles have been published in various journals and he has authored eight books. He appeared on a number of TV programmes on Turkish politics including the popular mainstream media channels. He also worked as a columnist for Millet newspaper owned by Ipek Media Group. At the end of 2015, the same newspaper was seized by the government and he was no longer allowed to write a column. At the moment Dr. Akpinar is living in the UK and cannot return to Turkey, as he is on the list of journalists and academics who face arrest in his home country.