Area of repression widens: Bosphorus students in grip of Erdogan regime

Nora Bandari

With the beginning of January 2021, the Turkish street witnessed student protests at Bogazici University on the Bosphorus. This prompted the security services to arrest protesting students who rejected the decision to appoint Melih Bulu, a member of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), as the rector of the university.

Student protests increased, raising slogans “We do not want deans, trustees from the government”, “We do not want trustees at the university”, and “We want a free university.” With these slogans, the security authorities’ repression increased, as there is not one day without a number of students being arrested. So far, their number has reached 250 people in Istanbul and 69 others in Ankara since the start of those protests, and the vast majority of them are students.

Despite these arrests, students and academics insist that Bulu offer his resignation, as they see his appointment as an attempt by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s regime to control the country’s last left-leaning institutions for fear of increasing the monopoly of power and undermining democratic standards, as the Erdogan regime previously closed more than 12 universities across the country since the alleged 2016 coup.

Despite the escalation of these protests, Bulu insists on keeping his position, stressing that his appointment came by an official decree by the government and claiming that students are free to protest as they wish.

Arrests and threats

On February 2, 2021, Turkish security forces raided the homes of some students from Bogazici University and arrested 28 of them in 13 provinces for allegedly resisting during the dispersal of the protests.

AKP member Shamil Tayyar threatened the students on his Twitter account, saying, “Those who are trying to protest the appointment of Bulu, turned the case into violence, are seeking after a coup, and want to disturb the country, they must all know that their fate will be worse than the fate of those who [attempted the coup] on the night of July 15.”

As for the Turkish president, he warned his opponents against being led by the student protests, claiming that his regime will soon reveal the true faces of those trying to cover their goals with the mask of democracy and freedom.

The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in a statement on Thursday, February 4, 2021, its rejection of international criticism of the security authorities’ suppression of demonstrators at Bogazici University, stressing that the security forces will continue their work in the performance of their duties and responsibilities.

International warnings

US State Department spokesman Ned Price expressed his concern about the Turkish police suppression of the Bogazici University student demonstrations, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights also announced its rejection of the security forces’ violations of university students.

Hesham Najjar, a researcher who specializes in Islamist groups, explained that Bulu’s appointment comes from the desire of the Erdogan regime to dominate all institutions, put them under its control, and prevent any moves against the regime, as it is anticipating any action, especially among students and youth.

Najjar pointed out in a special statement to the Reference that the anger is pent-up under the ashes of Turkey as a whole, and a spark like that is waiting for the whole country, given Erdogan’s practices and his regime’s repression against opponents, journalists and everyone who rejects his policies and his desire to continue this approach by demanding to amend the constitution.

Najjar explained that the Turkish president is accustomed to this tactic, as he exaggerates the verbal escalation on the one hand and quickly takes a backward stance, pointing out that the possibility of Erdogan backing away from his repressive actions, especially with the current circumstances in which he is looking for a way to calm tensions with Europe so that he can deal with the new American administration.