Click to read the article in Turkish
The Scholars at Risk, an international network protecting scholars and promoting academic freedom, has addressed an open letter to Turkey's President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Council of Higher Education (YÖK) President Prof. Erol Özvar and appointed rector of Boğaziçi University Prof. Naci İnci.
Penned by Robert Quinn, the Executive Director of Scholars at Risk, the letter of the network has urged the authorities in Turkey to "restore academic freedom and autonomy at Boğaziçi University".
The call of Scholars at Risk came some two weeks after Prof. Özlem Berk Albachten, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Prof. Metin Ercan, the Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, and Prof. Yasemin Bayyurt, the Dean of the Faculty of Education, were removed from office by the appointed rectorate upon the decision of the YÖK.
Notifying the dismissed deans in writing, Prof. İnci did not inform them about the reasons why they were removed from office. Shortly afterwards, it has turned out that Naci İnci has appointed himself as the acting dean of the Boğaziçi University Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
Expressing "deep concerns for the future of Boğaziçi University and the Turkish higher education community" within this context, the Scholars at Risk has urged Erdoğan, Özvar and İnci to take a series of "immediate steps to safeguard academic freedom and institutional autonomy."
Offering an overview of the violations of rights and freedoms that ensued the first rector appointment to Boğaziçi University on January 2, 2021 till now, the open letter of Robert Quinn briefly reads as follows:
'Reverse these wrongful dismissals'
"I write on behalf of Scholars at Risk (SAR) to express our deep concerns over a year-long pattern of escalating violations of academic freedom and institutional autonomy at Boğaziçi University—one of Turkey's most prestigious universities—marked most recently by the arbitrary dismissals of three faculty members from their deanships.
To ensure Boğaziçi University can continue to provide quality higher education that serves the public interest, I respectfully urge you to reverse these wrongful dismissals, restore the faculty-centered traditions of the rector appointment process, and respect the academic freedom and free expression rights of faculty, students, and other members of Turkey's higher education community.
'Dissenting voices are purged and punished'
"SAR is deeply concerned for the future of Boğaziçi University and the Turkish higher education community more generally.
"Boğaziçi has long served as a beacon of knowledge and intellectual curiosity, a national leader in innovation and international academic exchange that is uniquely situated to serve the public.
"Politicizing university leadership and purging and punishing dissenting voices, however, undermines the environment Boğaziçi University requires to properly fulfill this important role. Faculty and students at Boğaziçi University must be able to freely raise their concerns, ask difficult questions, and share their ideas peacefully, without fear of retaliation.
'Safeguard academic freedom, institutional autonomy'
"SAR therefore respectfully urges you to take immediate steps to safeguard academic freedom and institutional autonomy, including by
(i) reversing dismissals, suspensions, and demotions of faculty and students who were targeted for peaceful expressive activities;
(ii) refraining from the use of force, legal actions, and university disciplinary actions intended to retaliate against or restrict scholars' and students' peaceful expressive activity; and
(iii) restoring the democratic norms and traditions of the rector and dean appointment processes that predate Emergency Decree No. 676.
"SAR further reminds Turkish state authorities of their obligations under national and international law to respect academic freedom and institutional autonomy and calls on them to demonstrate an unequivocal commitment to promoting and protecting the same."
About Scholars at Risk
An international network of institutions and individuals whose mission it is to protect scholars and promote academic freedom.
By arranging temporary academic positions at member universities and colleges, Scholars at Risk offers safety to scholars facing grave threats, so scholars' ideas are not lost and they can keep working until conditions improve and they are able to return to their home countries.
Scholars at Risk also provides advisory services for scholars and hosts, campaigns for scholars who are imprisoned or silenced in their home countries, monitoring of attacks on higher education communities worldwide, and leadership in deploying new tools and strategies for promoting academic freedom and improving respect for university values everywhere.
What happened?Prof. Melih Bulu was appointed as the rector of Boğaziçi University by a Presidential Decision published in the Official Gazette on January 2, 2021. The appointment of Bulu sparked harsh criticisms among both the students and academics of the university as well as in the academic community. Appointed to Boğaziçi, one of the most prestigious universities in Turkey, from outside its community, Bulu was a candidate for nomination to run in the Parliamentary elections in 2015 for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which is chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The students and several students' clubs of the university campaigned on social media under the hashtag #kayyımrektöristemiyoruz (We don't want a trustee-rector). The call of the students was also supported by the faculty members of the university, who released a joint statement on January 3. "An academic outside Bogazici University community was appointed as a rector, which is a practice introduced for the first time after the 1980s military tutelage," read the statement of the faculty members. Amid harsh criticisms of students and faculty members, Prof. Bulu shared a message on his Twitter account, welcoming his appointment to the position, saying, "We are all in the same boat." The students protested the appointment of Bulu in front of the South Campus of the university in İstanbul on January 4. However, the police intervened into the protest with pepper gas and plastic bullets. Next day, it was reported that there were detention warrants against 28 people for "violating the law on meetings and demonstrations" and "resisting the officer on duty." Later in the day, 22 of them were detained. 40 people in total were detained over the protests. All of the detained were released on January 7 and 8, 2021. The protests of students and faculty members at the South Campus of Boğaziçi University have been going on since January 4. Taken into custody over a picture of the Kaaba, a sacred site in Islam, with a Shahmaran figure and four LGBTI+ flags on its corners, two students were arrested and two were placed under house arrest over this picture displayed at an exhibition as part of the protests at the South Campus. On February 1, police stormed the South Campus and intervened into the students' protests. Earlier in the day, the students gathered in front of the campus for the protest. Police hindered the protest while also preventing the students inside the South Campus from joining their friends outside. With the 51 students taken into custody inside the campus in the evening, the number of detained increased to 159. In a statement released by the İstanbul Governor's Office in the early morning hours on February 2, it was announced that 98 students were released from detention. On February 2, Boğaziçi University students gathered in Kadıköy Rıhtım for another protest, which was attacked by the police with plastic bullets and tear gas. 134 people were taken into custody by the police. Two of the protesters were arrested by the court afterwards. On February 6, four more people were arrested and two others were placed under house arrest over their participation in Boğaziçi protests in Kadıköy. On the same day, Erdoğan issued a Presidential decree to open two new faculties at the university. In response to this, the Boğaziçi Solidarity platform addressed an open letter to the "12th President of Turkey." A day later, student Beyza Buldağ was taken into custody for allegedly administering the "Boğaziçi Solidarity" Twitter account and arrested for "provoking the public to hatred, enmity and hostility" and "provoking to commit crimes" over both the letter and other Twitter posts. As of February 7, the Boğaziçi Solidarity platform announced that at least 560 students were detained, 25 were sentenced to house arrest and 10 were arrested. Students have been arrested on charges of "degrading or provoking the public to hatred and hostility" and "resisting to prevent fulfilment of duty" as per the Articles 216 and 265 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK). On February 10, one more student was arrested. With the release of Beyza Buldağ and Muhammed Önal on February 12, there remained nine students arrested over Boğaziçi University protests against the appointed rector. On February 22, two more students were placed under house arrest on the grounds that they distributed the letter of an arrested student to citizens. As the protests continued, President Erdoğan on July 15 sacked Melih Bulu. The Council of Higher Education (YÖK) appointed Vice-Rector Naci İnci as the acting rector one day later. On August 20, 2021, President Erdoğan appointed İnci as the new rector. As of January 5, 2021, two students were arrested for protesting the appointment of Naci İnci. They were released on probation at their first hearing on January 7. On January 19, 2022, the academics of Boğaziçi University announced that in line with the decision taken at the meeting of the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) on January 18, Prof. Özlem Berk Albachten, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Prof. Metin Ercan, the Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, and Prof. Yasemin Bayyurt, the Dean of the Faculty of Education, have been removed from office by the rectorate. Shortly afterwards, appointed rector Prof. Naci İnci has appointed himself as the acting dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences in place of elected dean Özlem Berk Albachten, who has been removed from office. |
(SD)
