Boğaziçi University protests: 24 people released from detention

* Photo: Ahmet Şık/ Twitter

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

Taken into custody for protesting the appointment of Prof. Melih Bulu as the president of Boğaziçi University by President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 24 of the 40 detained people were released today (January 7).

Azad Aksoy and Yıldız İdil Şen, who were referred to the judgeship with a request for their arrest, have been released on probation.

After a group of students staged a protest in front of the South Campus of Boğaziçi University in İstanbul on January 4, 40 people in total were taken into custody on charges of "violating the Law no. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations" and "resisting the officer on duty."

After they gave their statements at the security directorate, 24 people were referred to the İstanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan to give their depositions at the prosecutor's office today. 

Of these 24 people, Azad Aksoy and Yıldız İdil Şen were referred to the Penal Judgeship of Peace on Duty with a request for their arrest; 21 people were released on probation; one person was released without restrictions.

16 detained people are reportedly still giving their statements at the Security Branch Directorate in Vatan Avenue.

What happened?

Prof. Melih Bulu has been appointed as the President of Boğaziçi University in a Presidential Decree issued on January 1. The appointment of Bulu has 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 have been campaigning on social media under the hashtag #kayyımrektöristemiyoruz (We don't want a trustee university president).

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 rector (university president), which is a practice introduced for the first time after the 1980s military tutelage," read their statement.

Amid harsh criticisms of students and faculty members, Prof. Bulu has 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 peoplei in total were detained over the protests. (EKN/SD)