Students Disciplined at Universities

These practices are simply pristine and totally unlawful, says Kıvanç Eliaçık from the new Students' Union Initiative, commenting on the increasing number of administrative inquisitions towards dissident students at universities around the country.

University administrations continue decreeing disciplinary penalties towards students who are involved in political activities.

In Karadeniz (Black Sea) Technical University (KTU) numerous students have been rusticated ranging from a week up to a year.

"Protestation without permission", "chanting slogans", "participating in press conference" are grounds according to the university rectorate for disciplinary action.

In the last four months 72 inquisitions had been placed and seven students who reacted against the yearly tuition had been punished.

Furthermore, Trabzon Public Prosecutor's office filed cases against the students demanding penalties up to five years in prison.

Prosecution and rectorate collaborate

On another accounts, Edirne public Prosecutor's office filed accusations against Trakya University students who participated in a march protesting the murder of Turkish-Armenian writer Hrant Dink.

In recent days, 33 students of the university who organized an alternative spring festival last year have been sentenced to 3,9 years imprisonment.

Lastly, several students who participated in a protest against the Supreme Institution of Education (YOK) -which was established following the military coup in 1980 and seen as its oppressing prolongation at higher education- Çanakkale University of March 18 received notification of administrative inquisitions.

YOK regulations

Spokesperson of the Initiative and international relations expert at the Confederation Revolutionary Workers' Unions (DİSK), Kıvanç Eliaçık notes that the inquisitions are used to intimidate politically active students.

"Their right to organization and freedom of speech are constantly violated. Disciplinary penalties and worse still the imprisonments keep students from using such rights"

Reminding that there's no crime defined as "protest without permission" in the Turkish Penal Code, Eliaçık says the YOK Disciplinary Regulations are used vigorously to oppress students.

Special security forces shouldn't be present at university campuses, he added.(EZÖ/EÜ)