Woman student reveals violence inflicted on her by academician at Bilkent university

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* We are not using the name of the student since it could cause a problem for her security, nor the academician since it would cause a legal problem.

A woman student at Bilkent University stated that C.O. a man academician at the same university beat him repeatedly. She took an assault report. The university started an administrative investigation on C.O.*

"I could die that day"

The woman student who talked to bianet said, "We had a relationship with O. for a short period. He perpetrated both phycological and physical violence from the very beginning of this relationship. I thought it would stop and change, I even went to a psychologist. I thought about how I could help him, but he did not change. When I went to his house on March 2 in order to talk, he beat me. I was injured. He pulled me holding my hair on the ground. He strangled me so bad that I could die that day."

"What are they investigating for 1,5 months?"

The student also told us that O. threatened her in public. She said, "He threatened me in front of dozens of people the next day on March 3. He insulted me. He told me to keep silent. I applied to the university administration, I want them to punish him."

She has submitted a petition describing what O. has done to her but the administration has not replied to her petition, she told bianet.

"Me and the other female students, we are not safe," she said and added, "Nothing has been done by the university administration up until now about academician O. who perpetrated violence on me. What is the administration investigating for one and a half months?"

Student Council: The investigation is continuing

She also said that the women's organizations and the student council at the university know about the issue, and asserted that many people are disturbed by the behavior of this academician.

Bilkent University Rectorship which we called in order to ask about the student's allegations has not yet talked to us. The President of the Bilkent University Student Council, on the other hand, said that they had talked to the vice-chancellor who told them that an investigation was started and continuing. "We are following up," told the president of the council bianet. (EMK/PE)