METU Students Detained Over an Informer's Email, Miss Graduation Ceremony

*Academics hold a banner that says, "Don't touch my student" at the graduation ceremony. (Photo: METU Eğitim-Sen / Twitter)

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Four students from the Middle East Technical University (METU) who were detained in their homes and dormitories yesterday (June 30) have been released after giving statements.

Two people who were not at their homes at the time of the police raids will give statements to the police on July 4.

The students missed their graduation ceremony due to being detained.

One of those students told bianet that his parents are hearing impaired and he was not at home when the police came.

"When my mother and father, who are in their fifties, were at home, the police came. My mother is also seriously ill. They could not communicate. They could not make themselves understood and they were naturally scared. They were very disturbed by how the police entered home."

One student released from detention told that they were detained in a police raid at around 5.30 am.

"The Anti-Terror units searched homes and took banners. A banner that says 'Long live revolutionary METU' was taken from a friend's home.

"As we learned from our attorneys, the reason for our detention is membership of and propagandizing for a terrorist organization. The only reason for this is a notice delivered via email on June 26.

"The notice contains our names and says, 'These people are the types who already caused trouble in previous years. It would be good to take measures.

"While details should be in normally in our file, the email address of the person was scored out. They did not give information on the person to us or to our attorneys.

"We will take legal action to learn the identity of the informer.

"Besides, although the notice was sent on June 26, the court issues an order on June 29 and the raid was done in the morning on June 30. Although we were brought to the Anti-Terror Branch early in the morning, we were not able to reach the prosecutor. Our attorneys were also not able to meet with him.

"While we could easily catch the march that would begin at 6.30 in the evening if we would give our statements and then were released, they kept us waiting. We spent all day there.

"At around 10.30, a message came from the prosecutor and we gave statements to the police officers there. And we were released without meeting with the prosecutor that night.

"The police didn't know what to ask"

"This is the worst thing; it upsets and angers when you can't attend your graduation.

"The files are empty. There is no evidence. The only evidence in the file is the notice on June 26. There is no reasonable cause regarding an offense.

"The questions directed to us at the security directorate were like, 'Are you a member of a terrorist organization?' 'Where does your organization get its funds?' 'Did you want to start something like the 2013 Gezi incidents with the demonstrations you were going to do at the graduation ceremony?'

"Actually, because there is no evidence, they didn't know what to ask." (AÖ/VK)