Minister Soylu: Police did the right thing

* Photo: Ali Hüdaverdi Yaman / AA

Click to read the article in Turkish

Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu made a statement about the protests against the appointment of university president to Boğaziçi, one of the most prestigious higher education institutions in Turkey, by President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

"The Turkish police did the right thing," said Soylu on Twitter yesterday (January 6). Addressing the ones who referred to the September 12, 1980 military coup period in criticizing the appointment, Soylu said:

"I am saying this to those who refer to the September 12 period. You have quite a dark criminal record in terms of democracy, law and human rights... We would expose you, setting everything aside."

Soylu said the following about the issue:

"The Turkish police, who did not allow the terror-related illegal groups that are not from Boğaziçi and tried to enter it, did the right thing.

"Vehemently, they broke the gate of Boğaziçi University. Our police kept the broken gate together with plastic materials. They, once again, broke the gate with vandalism. With the handcuffs of private security guards, our police, once again, kept the gate together.

"I am saying this to those who criticize this: What should have been done? Should the terror-related illegal groups have been allowed to enter the university? Should the ones calling the police murderers have been welcomed? Should the university have been surrendered to those chanting the anthem of a terrorist organization? Or should have been said, 'Please stop, let us call a locksmith or someone to fix the door'?

"The Turkish police did what the law stipulates. I am saying this to those who refer to the September 12 period. You have quite a dark criminal record in terms of democracy, law and human rights...

"We would expose you, setting everything aside. But we have responsibility to the nation and work to do.

"We, as the state and with the support given by our glorious nation and the authority vested in us by the law, will not tolerate the ones trying to disturb public order and security and our peace."

Allegations of strip search in detention

According to the statements given by some of the detained people at the security directorate, they had been subjected to a strip search in the detention room. Some of the statements also indicated that the plastic handcuffs were tightened around their wrists deliberately.

After the protests against the appointment of university students in front of Boğaziçi University on January 4, 17 people were taken into custody in early morning hours the next day, five people later in the day and 14 people were detained in house raids in the morning hours on January 6. 36 people were reportedly in detention as of late January 6.

CLICK - 14 more people detained for protesting appointment of university president

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.

As of 1.30 p.m. on January 6, 36 people were in detention.

After the İstanbul Governor's Office banned meetings, demonstrations and marches in Beşiktaş and Sarıyer districts amid students' calls for protest, the Boğaziçi Solidarity changed the date and place of the protest, calling on people to come to Kadıköy at 4 p.m. on January 6.

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. (EKN/SD)