Witness Not Heard in Boğaziçi University Students' Case
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The students of Boğaziçi University, who have been charged with "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" for having opened a banner that read "Invasion, massacre cannot be marked with Turkish delight" in protest of a group of students giving out Turkish delight at campus with respect to the Turkish Armed Forces' 2018 operation in Syria's Afrin, had their third hearings at the İstanbul 32nd Heavy Penal Court in İstanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan today (March 19).
Rejecting the requests of the return of the confiscated digital materials and of the hearing of a witness, the court adjourned the hearing to July 16, 10 a.m.
Attorneys of the defendants requested the confiscated digital materials to be returned to their owners as the images from the day of the incident are in the case file and waiting for the digital materials would not have an effect on the merits of the case.
Court rejects all demands
Meriç Eyüboğlu, an attorney for the defendants, said, "I request that Students' Dean Zeynep Uysal, whom the court decided to hear, to be listened as a witness."
The Prosecutor's Office said in its opinion as to the requests that the return of the digital materials shall be decided at the end of the trial and the request of the hearing of the witness shall be rejected as it would not have an effect on the merits of the case.
Announcing its interim verdict, the court decided that the examination of the digital materials shall be waited.
The court also rejected the hearing of witness Uysal because of "there is no such ruling in the interim verdicts, to this point, not a demand of the hearing of a witness reached to the court, and the hearing cannot have an effect on the merits of the case as of the scope of the case and the current situation about the evidence."
The next hearing will be held on July 16, 10 a.m.
What happened?On March 19 (Monday) a group of students opened a stand giving out Turkish delight in North Campus following 46 soldiers losing their lives in Afrin. A group of antiwar students protested them by opening a banner reading "Invasion, massacre cannot be marked with Turkish delight". A quarrel sparked between the two groups and the stand was reportedly attacked. Justice and Development Party (AKP) Youth Branch in police control protested the attack launched on the stand on March 20. In the statement for the press issued, the students were described as "terrorists". Statement by university presidencyIn its statement, Boğaziçi University Presidency has said, "We find the attack carried out on the stand unacceptable like any patriot". "Security forces intervened in the aforementioned demonstrations that were held without approval of our university administration. Necessary investigations and disciplinary procedures have been launched into this hostile demonstration". In its statement, the Higher Education Board (YÖK) has said, "In order to avoid such incidents causing public indignation, necessary precautions to be taken including amendment in regulations will be concluded by negotiating. This process has been commenced". Police entered campusFive anti-war students were detained by police during home and dormitory raids on March 22. In protest of the detentions, students released a statement on social media calling for a rally in the North Campus. The statement read: "Detention of the students who weren't even in the campus at the time of the incident is a proof that the attack has been turned into a witch hunt by the government to oppress the opposition in the university". Prior to the rally time, Anti-Terror teams entering the campus detained seven students by dragging them on the floor. Taken to Gayrettepe Security Directorate and detained there, the students were released on the same day. Erdoğan called the students "terrorists"On March 24, Saturday, Erdoğan said, "Those communist, traitor terrorist youngsters scattered the desk. We will not grant those youngsters right to education at university." 16 students in total were taken into custodyOn March 25, the police raided the dormitories and houses of the students. After the raids, three Boğaziçi University students, who are also members of the Marxist Thought Community, were taken into custody. On March 26, three other students were detained after their houses and dormitories were raided by police. On March 31, two more students from Boğaziçi University were detained. On April 2, another student was taken into custody at the entrance to the South Campus of the university by undercover police officers. The number of detained students increased to 16 with this detention. 14 students were arrestedOn April 4, nine of 16 detained Boğaziçi University students were arrested on charge of "propagandizing for a terrorist organization." While another student was still in custody as the legal proceedings against the student had not yet been finalized, one more student, who had initiated a letter campaign for the arrested Boğaziçi University students and was also a member of the Marxist Thought Community (MFT), was taken into custody. One of the detained students was arrested and the other one was released on probation. On May 10, another student from the department of sociology was arrested. Students were released in the first hearingIn the first hearing of the students that was held on June 6, 2018, all of the 14 Boğaziçi University students pending trial in jail were released. |
(TP/VK)