‘We are accepted to universities abroad, unable to go because we protested Bulu’

* Photo: Dilek Şen

Click to read the article in Turkish

Since President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan appointed Melih Bulu as the rector of Boğaziçi University on January 2, the protests against this appointment have been ongoing on different platforms for over six months now.

The then students B.Z. and E.E. were also among the ones who protested Bulu's appointment. They were taken into custody during the protests at the South Campus on February 2. Even though they were released from detention, an international travel ban and judicial control measures were imposed on them when they appeared before the judge on February 4.

B.Z. and E.E. graduated from Boğaziçi University this semester and they applied to universities in other countries. While they have been accepted to those schools, they may not be able to go due to the bans and judicial control measures imposed for protesting Melih Bulu.

E.E. has been accepted to Paris University's MA program in Linguistics and B.Z. has been accepted to Siena University's MA program in European Studies. However, they may not be able to leave Turkey to continue their studies on the grounds of judicial control measures.

As long as the bans are not lifted, they will be unable to continue their studies. They have spoken to bianet about the issue.

'We applied twice'

E.E. says that according to the academic calendar of the university, s/he must be in Paris on September 1 and adds:

"After the detention, the school launched an investigation against me and my 50 friends. The investigations aimed to hamper our education.

"There is no other explanation for this. Due to the international travel ban, I may not be able to go to the school which I have been accepted to. Our lawyers applied twice for the removal of the international travel ban. I hope that the result will turn out to be positive.

"But I am running out of time and I am concerned."

'We are waiting for an indictment for months'

Noting that it has been five months since their detention, E.E. says, "We, as 52 students, have been waiting for an indictment to be prepared about us and for our lives to normalize". E.E. briefly adds:

"The reason for the failure to prepare the indictment is quite clear. Because they are unable to find evidence for the offenses that they try to charge us with. And they are trying to intimidate us with restrictions such as an international travel ban and judicial control measures.

"I don't accept this arbitrary and indefinite punishment."

'We were confined to the campus'

Speaking about the day of their detention, E.E. says:

"In the evening when I was detained, I and hundreds of other friends were confined to our own campus as the main door of the South Campus was locked by the police and I was unable to go out of the main door.

It was Melih Bulu who had the doors locked and called the riot police into the campus on February 1. It was also trustee Melih Bulu who closed the BÜLGBTİ+ students club and the Commission for Prevention of Sexual Harassment, prevented the artworks from being displayed inside the campus and usurped people's freedom.

'We are being punished'

Accepted to Siena University in Italy, B.Z. also says:

"While I have been accepted to a nice university in Italy, which I have been curious about since my childhood and where I want to study, the possibility of being unable to go there is really sad and frustrating.

"As my MA plans were oriented towards abroad, I did not apply for any programs in Turkey. If I am unable to go, I will get in touch with the university and ask them whether it is possible to reserve my rights.

"I don't know how this process will affect my life. Our democratic and peaceful rights are deemed as crimes. That is why we are being punished; both our right to education and freedom are usurped.

"Boğaziçi has always been a place where different identities coexist in tolerance. What is done now is openly an attack on this." (MEÖ/RT/SD)