Eight University Students Face Article 301 Charge

Yusuf Ziya Özcan, President of the Turkish Council of Higher Education (YÖK), and the Gendarmerie filed a lawsuit against eight students who were protesting the YÖK President during his visit to Kocaeli University.

The YÖK claimed in its statement to daily Radikal that Özcan was not one of the complainants.

When the slogan made them uncomfortable, the young people became suspects

When Özcan was visiting the Umuttepe Campus during his visit to Kocaeli University on April 3, he was met by a group of about hundred university students, all members of the Student Collective (ÖK), who were chanting slogans such as “Yusuf Ziya to America, next to Fethullah”, “Tayyib’s slave Yusuf Ziya” and “Those who purchase Tayyib, get Yusuf Ziya free.”

The 1st Criminal Court of First Instance of Kocaeli, which started trying the case on April 3, is prosecuting Özgün İ. for having tried to pass the gendarmerie barricade, and Deniz B., Mehmet G., Barış Ö., Yaşar S., Özgürcan O., Can T., and Çilem G., for shouting the slogan “Get out gendarmerie, universities are ours.”

The case will continue until December 25

In the first hearing, the court requested, because of the slogans against the gendarmerie, additional defense in order to process the case under article 301 for two years in prison. At this stage, the case will more likely be sent to the Ministry of Justice for permission to prosecute, it is required that the 301 cases get the permission of the Ministry of Justice.

The students claimed in their statements that they were using their democratic right to protest and hold a press release. While they accept that they shouted the slogans in the official report, they deny the allegation that they resisted the gendarmerie. Only Barış Ö. stated that he threw a punch.

At the court, the students repeated that they used their democratic right to protest, but they denied they shouted “Gendarmerie get out”. The court will continue trying the eight students on December 25. (EÖ/TB)