Serkan Golge
Quick Facts
Biography
Serkan Golge (Serkan Gölge) is a Turkish-American scientist who is currently imprisoned in Turkey. He works for NASA as a senior research scientist on NASA's proposed manned mission to Mars. He graduated from Fatih University and received his Ph.D. in physics from Old Dominion University in 2010. He became a naturalized US citizen the same year.
Golge was arrested by the Turkish government on July 23, 2016, on charges of participating in terrorism and conspiring against the government as a member of the Gülen movement, which Turkey designates the "Fethullahist Terrorist Organization." Golge denies being a member of the Gülen movement or undertaking any anti-government activities. The government in Ankara believes that the Gülen movement is at least partially responsible for the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt and has arrested many of its members and suspected members since, approximately 50,000 since the coup's failure in July 2016.