10 Months Deferred Prison Sentence for 20 Students, Acquittal for 3 Students

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The final hearing has been held in the case of 30 students of Boğaziçi University, who were charged with "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" for having opened a banner that read, "Invasion, massacre cannot be marked with delight" in protest of a group of students giving out Turkish delight at the campus with respect to Turkey's 2018 military operation in Syria's Afrin.

İstanbul 32nd Heavy Penal Court has sentenced 20 students to 10 months in prison, seven students to pay a fine of 6 thousand Turkish lira (~1 thousand US dollars), and acquitted three students. It has deferred the announcement of the verdict for the students it sentenced to prison.

The court has acquitted the three students because "considering the trial and the collected evidence, they have not been proven guilty as charged."

Sevde Öztürk, Enes Karakaş, Ekim Devrim Çapartaş, Oğuzcan Ünlü, İdil Ügüt, Muhammet Bilgin, Elif Nur Aybaş, Kübra Sağır, Agah Suat Atay, Ali İmran Şirin, Emir Eray Karabıyık, Hamza Dinçer, Mustafa Ada Kök, Zülküf İbrahim Erkok, Yusuf Noyan Öztürk, Ozan Yaman, Esen Deniz Üstündağ, Mete Ulutaş, Berke Aydoğan and İsmail Gürler have been sentenced to 10 months in prison for "propagandizing for a terrorist organization." The announcement of the verdict has been deferred.

Bektaş Deneri, Tevger Uzay Tulay, Denizhan Eren, İrem Gerkuş, Deniz Yılmaz, Damla Uyar and Şükran Yaren Tuncer have also been sentenced to 10 months in prison for the same offense. Because they did not accept a deferred announcement of the verdict, the court has turned the prison sentences into a 6 thousand liras of monetary fine.

Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) MPs Züleyha Gülüm, Hüda Kaya and Ahmet Şık, Republican People's Party (CHP) Sezgin Tanrıkulu, the Academics for Peace, Prof. Dr. Gregory Cherlin from Rutgers University in the name of the American Mathematical Society, Dr. Adrien Deloro from Sorbonne University in the name of the European Mathematical Society, and Ulla Karhumaki from Manchester University in the name of the London Mathematical Society were also present at the courtroom.

What happened?

On March 19 (Monday) a group of students opened a stand giving out Turkish delight in North Campus following 46 soldiers losing their lives in Afrin. A group of antiwar students protested them by opening a banner reading "Invasion, massacre cannot be marked with Turkish delight". A quarrel sparked between the two groups and the stand was reportedly attacked.

Justice and Development Party (AKP) Youth Branch in police control protested the attack launched on the stand on March 20. In the statement for the press issued, the students were described as "terrorists".

Statement by university presidency

In its statement, Boğaziçi University Presidency has said, "We find the attack carried out on the stand unacceptable like any patriot".

"Security forces intervened in the aforementioned demonstrations that were held without approval of our university administration. Necessary investigations and disciplinary procedures have been launched into this hostile demonstration".

In its statement, the Higher Education Board (YÖK) has said, "In order to avoid such incidents causing public indignation, necessary precautions to be taken including amendment in regulations will be concluded by negotiating. This process has been commenced".

Police entered campus

Five anti-war students were detained by police during home and dormitory raids on March 22.

In protest of the detentions, students released a statement on social media calling for a rally in the North Campus. The statement read:

"Detention of the students who weren't even in the campus at the time of the incident is a proof that the attack has been turned into a witch hunt by the government to oppress the opposition in the university".

Prior to the rally time, Anti-Terror teams entering the campus detained seven students by dragging them on the floor. Taken to Gayrettepe Security Directorate and detained there, the students were released on the same day.

Erdoğan called the students "terrorists"

On March 24, Saturday, Erdoğan said, "Those communist, traitor terrorist youngsters scattered the desk. We will not grant those youngsters right to education at university."

16 students in total were taken into custody

On March 25, the police raided the dormitories and houses of the students. After the raids, three Boğaziçi University students, who are also members of the Marxist Thought Community, were taken into custody.

On March 26, three other students were detained after their houses and dormitories were raided by police.

On March 31, two more students from Boğaziçi University were detained.

On April 2, another student was taken into custody at the entrance to the South Campus of the university by undercover police officers. The number of detained students increased to 16 with this detention.

14 students were arrested

On April 4, nine of 16 detained Boğaziçi University students were arrested on charge of "propagandizing for a terrorist organization."

While another student was still in custody as the legal proceedings against the student had not yet been finalized, one more student, who had initiated a letter campaign for the arrested Boğaziçi University students and was also a member of the Marxist Thought Community (MFT), was taken into custody. One of the detained students was arrested and the other one was released on probation.

On May 10, another student from the department of sociology was arrested.

Students were released in the first hearing

In the first hearing of the students that was held on June 6, 2018, all of the 14 Boğaziçi University students pending trial in jail were released. (TP/VK)