Boğaziçi academics call on appointed university administration to resign

* Photo: Boğaziçi Resistance / Twitter

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45 students of Boğaziçi University, who were taken into custody at their campus on Friday (October 22), have been released.

The academics of the university have released a written statement and denounced the police violence and detentions targeting the students protesting Naci İnci, the appointed rector of Boğaziçi University.

Sharing details of what they witnessed at the South Campus in İstanbul on the day of the incident, the academics have underlined that the campuses have become unsafe for students and academics alike and called on the appointed university administrators to resign.

'Unfounded accusations'

In their joint statement, the academics of Boğaziçi have recalled that "as was the case in several times before, there was an attempt to ban the Boğaziçi University campus for students upon the order of the rectorate, which was appointed in a way the legitimacy of which is controversial."

The academics have said, "45 students of Boğaziçi University, a public university, were prevented from exercising their right to hold a peaceful protest, which is a right guaranteed by the Constitution."

They have recalled that "while students were preparing to disperse without problems upon the promise that there would not be any intervention against them if they dispersed, they were taken into custody by force on an unfounded allegation of 'occupying a public space'."

The statement of the academics has also indicated that "the statement released by the appointed rectorate about the incidents that happened at the Boğaziçi University campus, which can no longer be considered a public space due to the entry bans, does not reflect the truth":

"The images of the incidents witnessed by hundreds of professors, graduates and students all day long were widely posted on social media."

'We demand immediate resignation'

The academics of Boğaziçi University have underlined:

"University must be an environment where our students must feel secure without any conditions and can express their opinions freely.

"The blockading of such an environment by the private security, undercover police officers and riot police is unacceptable. These interventions aimed at decreasing the quality of education and undermining the grounds for commonsense causes a public loss that affects the entire society."

Concluding the statement, the academics have reiterated their demand for academic freedom, university autonomy and a transparent, democratic and accountable administration, which they have been raising for 10 months: "We demand the immediate resignation of the appointed rectorate, which has been appointed in a way the legitimacy of which is controversial."

What happened?

With a Presidential decision published in the Official Gazette, President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan appointed Prof. Melih Bulu, an academic from outside Boğaziçi University's academic community, as the rector of the university on January 2, which was met with harsh criticism and protests of students, academics and alumni.

Amid these protests, Erdoğan removed Bulu from office with a Presidential decision on July 15; the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) appointed his vice rector Prof. Naci İnci as the acting rector.

The YÖK accepted applications for the rectorship of Boğaziçi University till August 2 and President Erdoğan has appointed Prof. Naci İnci, who accepted his appointment as a vice rector while his two students from the Physics Department were arrested over the protests, dismissed Can Candan and Feyzi Erçin from the university and received a vote of no confidence from 95 percent of Boğaziçi academics.

On October 22, 2021, the Private Security Unit (ÖGB) removed the protesting students' tent from the South Campus of Boğaziçi University.

The security staff intervened against the tent in front of the Rectorate, reportedly upon the instruction of the Rectorate.

Broadcasting the intervention online from the campus, students said that several police officers were let in the campus and they were prevented from putting up their tent upon the Rectorate's instruction.

During the live broadcast, it was seen that Nedim Malkoç, the appointed Secretary General, was the one who gave the order.

Several students, protesting the removal of the tent, staged a sit-in protest in front of the Rectorate. Several riot police officers and detention vehicles had entered the South Campus in the meantime

The police, surrounding the students who wanted to hold a press statement, detained at least 45 students at the campus. While 42 students were released later at night, three were also released from detention the next day. (TP/SD)