Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Sunday reversed his decision to close a liberal private university in İstanbul after protests by students and faculty members, Turkish Minute reported, citing the Agence France-Presse.
The decree reversing the decision published in the Official Gazette two days after Erdoğan ordered the closure of İstanbul Bilgi University during the academic year.
Hundreds of students and faculty members demonstrated earlier Sunday outside the university’s main campus, which had been closed since Friday, demanding that it reopen.
The closure order cited a law allowing private universities to be shut down if “the expected level of education and training … is insufficient,” an allegation rejected by Bilgi students and staff.
“We will stay here until the university reopens its doors,” student union activist Emir Aydoğan said during the protest.
Erdoğan, who has ruled Turkey since 2003, first as prime minister and then as president, has faced criticism from rights groups over what they describe as authoritarian measures targeting critics and opponents.
