‘Putting an artwork on trial is against the basics of free speech’

* Photos: Boğaziçi Solidarity/ Behram Evlice

Click to read the article in Turkish

The students of Boğaziçi University have demanded the release of their two friends who have been arrested over a picture of the Kaaba on display in an outdoor exhibition as part of their protest against Prof. Melih Bulu, the appointed rector, at the South Campus in İstanbul.

The students are charged with "degrading or inciting the public to enmity or hatred" over this picture with four LGBTI+ flags on its corners.

CLICK - Two Boğaziçi University students arrested

Sharing a video on social media, the Resist Boğaziçi (Diren Boğaziçi) platform has said, "Here's our statement video as Boğaziçi students regarding the latest misunderstandings about the exhibition, which was followed by the arrests of two of our friends. We demand our friends to be freed, and the appointed rector to leave his position."

The full statement of the students is as follows:

'Anonymous works were on display'

"The protests that started with Melih Bulu's appointment as the rector and which went viral among all universities have been continuing for four weeks.

"Among the many protests that were being held was an outdoor art exhibition. To do this exhibition, more than 300 pieces were sent from all around the world.

"The piece that attracted the major controversy was anonymously sent, just like many others. None of the art pieces was subject to an elimination process.

"On the last day of the exhibition, on January 29, five of our friends were taken into custody.

"One among them did not get any detention, two of them got home detention, and the last two were arrested.

'These protests are for democracy'

"We would like to remind you that these protests were held for the sake of democracy in our universities.

"We, who seek democratic rights, just wish for a free academy.

"As such, the main goal of the protests was always to oppose the restricting and anti-democratic appointments to our academy and never was to disrespect any public values.

"We acknowledge the sensitivity that is aimed at our exhibition.

"We also acknowledge that no art form is closed to criticism. However, to be put on trial because of an art piece is against the basics of free speech.

'Smear campaign by government and media'

"Since the beginning of our protests, the university students and mostly the LGBTI+ community were being reflected as unjust and alone.

"A big smear campaign was being held by the government authorities and their media on January 29.

"Our appointed rector Melih Bulu supported this campaign.

'They aim to silence our rightful protests'

"Our detained friends were detained as per the Article 216/3 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), which does not grant the right to arrest. The charge later turned into TCK 216/1, which does not cover the act of our friends.

"The art piece cannot be subjected to the TCK 216/1 and, thus, the arrest of our friends is unjust.

"The goal behind these arrests is to weaken and silence our rightful protests.

"We share this video with you with the hopes that the public can see the truth behind the mist of and announce that we stand by our friends.

"We demand that our friends be freed and the appointed rector leave his position!"

Here's our statement video as Boğaziçi students regarding the latest misunderstandings about the exhibiton, which was followed by the arrests of two of our friends. We demand our friends to be freed, and the appointed rector to leave his position. pic.twitter.com/oSKiVY54WU
— Resist Bogazici (@resistBU) January 31, 2021

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 people in total were detained over the protests. All of the detained were released on January 7 and 8, 2021.

The protests of students and faculty members at the South Campus of Boğaziçi University have been going on since January 4.

About Melih Bulu

Prof. Melih Bulu was appointed as the President of Haliç University on January 17, 2020. In office in this foundation university for less than a year, he has been appointed as the President of Boğaziçi University.

He was a Dean and University President at the İstinye University from 2016 to 2019. Between the years of 2010 and 2016, he was the Head of the Business Management Department of İstanbul Şehir University's Business Management and Management Science Faculty.

He was the General Coordinator of International Competitiveness Research Institute (URAK), an NGO working on economic competitiveness of cities and countries, from the year 2017 to 2019. Since 2011, he has been the Executive Board member of the İstanbul Electric-Electronic Machinery and Informatics Exporters R&D Market.

In 2002, he founded the Sarıyer District Organization of the ruling AKP in İstanbul. In 2015, he was a candidate for nomination to run in the Parliamentary elections from the AKP in the first election district in İstanbul.

He studied Industrial Engineering at the Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara in 1992. He did his MBA and PhD at Boğaziçi University's Department of Management.

(DŞ/SD)

BOĞAZİÇİ UNIVERSITY STUDENTS