Boğaziçi University students indicted, face prison sentence over their protests

* Photo: Ali Aktaş

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The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has indicted 14 students of Boğaziçi University, including Berke Gök and Perit Özen, who are currently arrested pending trial as part of the same investigation.

In the indictment lodged by the Prosecutor's Office over the students' protest at the South Campus, Naci İnci, the appointed rector of the university, has been cited as the aggrieved party while the driver of his official vehicle and two security guards have been cited as complainants.

According to the indictment, the Rectorate of Boğaziçi University requested that plainclothes security personnel be sent to the campus in the face of the silent protests of "We don't want trustee-rector" staged by the students and academics as part of the "Boğaziçi Solidarity".

The indictment has also included the petition of criminal complaint submitted by appointed Boğaziçi University rector Naci İnci. The Prosecutor's Office has argued that a group of students, including the 14 indicted students, intercepted the official vehicle of Naci İnci and prevented it from leaving and the group continued with their protests despite the warnings.

The petition has also claimed that Berke Gök got on top of the vehicle carrying the rector of the university, jumped on the vehicle and damaged it while Caner Perit Özen allegedly held security guard Faruk K. by the neck and dragged him while he was trying to get Gök off the vehicle.

The first hearing to be held in January

The indictment has demanded that 14 students be sentenced to prison on charges of "unarmed attendance to unlawful meetings and demonstrations and refusal to disperse by oneself despite warnings", "deprivation of liberty of more than one person due to public duty", "resisting to prevent fulfilment of duty" and "hijacking or deforcing land vehicles."

As the indictment has been accepted by the İstanbul Criminal Court of First Instance, 14 students, including the two students arrested pending trial, will stand before the judge on January 7, 2022.

What happened?

10 students were taken into custody at Boğaziçi University in İstanbul on October 5, 2021 on the grounds that they had joined the ongoing protests against Naci İnci, the appointed rector of the university.

Three students were released from detention after giving their statements at the police station. Held in detention at night, seven students were referred to the İstanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan a day later after the related formalities had been completed at the police station.

Interrogated at the prosecutor's office, four students were released on probation while three were referred to judgeship to be arrested.

The İstanbul Penal Judgeship of Peace on Duty ruled that two students should be arrested and one should be released on probation.

Rector İnci had applied to the prosecutor's office against his 14 students on charges of "threat, insult, damage to property, resisting for preventing duty and violating the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations." (RT/SD)