Boğaziçi University’s appointed rector Melih Bulu removed from office

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Appointed as the rector of Boğaziçi University by the Presidential decree of ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on January 2, 2021, Melih Bulu has been removed from office by a Presidential decree dated July 14, 2021.

According to the Presidential decision no. 2021/360 published in the Official Gazette today (July 15), appointed rector Melih Bulu has been dismissed from office "as per the Additional Article 1 of the Law no. 2547 on Higher Education and the Article 2 of the Presidential decree no. 3."

On the other side, Melih Bulu first lashed out at the news that he was removed from office. Posting a message on his Instagram account, he argued that "it was baseless news." He mocked the news, asking, "But, does he know about it? I mean, do I [know about it] :)"

Bulu deleted this Instagram post shortly afterwards and posted a picture of President and AKP Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

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Melih Bulu era at Boğaziçi University

Since the appointment of Melih Bulu as the rector of Boğaziçi University from outside its academic community and without any electoral process within the university, the constituents of the university have been protesting this appointment on different platforms.

It has especially caused an outrage that the gates of the university's South Campus were handcuffed during the protests. In defending this practice at the time, Bulu defined it as a "practical solution."

Most recently, the appointed administration of the university decided to restrict entries to Boğaziçi campuses on July 3-4 on the grounds of "security and health risks that had arisen at the campuses." The academics of Boğaziçi have filed a criminal complaint about the appointed university administration's decision to restrict entries to the university's campuses.

Meanwhile, hundreds of students were taken into custody and briefly arrested for protesting the appointment of Melih Bulu. The police attacked these protests with plastic bullets and pepper gas.

While two students were briefly arrested over an artwork on display at the South Campus as part of the protests against Bulu, several others were detained for holding rainbow flags at the campus and put on trial. The Boğaziçi University LGBTI+ Studies Club was also closed in this process.

Shortly after Bulu was appointed as a rector by a Presidential decree, two new faculties, the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Communication, were also founded at the university by another Presidential decree. The academics of the university have taken legal action against it.

It has also caused an outrage that the appointed administration ended the courses of some academics and hindered their entry to the campuses. (RT/SD)