21 students referred to trial after protesting against Erdogan's decision

Students of Bogazici University protested against the decision of the President of the Justice and Development Party, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to appoint a member of his party as president of the university.

Protests against the decision to appoint the university president are still continuing, and on Friday, the faculty members organized a protest to renew their rejection of the appointment of Melih Polo as the university president, confirming their rejection of Erdogan's tutelage over universities, by appointing his loyalists, without respecting the rules governing such appointments which requires that the appointees be from the university staff itself.

The Turkish authorities opposed the student protests, and referred 21 students out of 45 students, after the protests that took place last Monday at the university, to the Magistrate and Penal Court on Friday January 8, while Erdogan came out and accused the students and described them as terrorists only because of their rejection of his decision.

Academics and university students considered that choosing the university president out of the faculty is a transgression of the principle of election in which the university has worked since 1980.

The academics issued a statement stressing, “The appointment of the new university president by Erdogan is inconsistent with these principles, in form and substance.”

Pointing out, "This development represents a continuation of a situation in place since 2016 following the failed coup attempt, and of undemocratic practices through which Erdogan canceled the process of electing university presidents."

This situation is not new to the Justice and Development Party, headed by Erdogan, in fighting its opponents and democrats in the country. Academics, media professionals and politicians are constantly campaigning for arrests launched by their authorities against anyone protesting against the behavior of the aforementioned party.

J.O