A state-run dormitory in Turkey’s Mersin province has evicted 15 female students allegedly involved in nationwide protests against the detention and arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
The dormitory, managed by the Turkish Higher Education Credit and Hostels Institution (KYK), issued an official notice to the students involved. The institution claimed the students engaged in various activities “with the intention of undermining or damaging the sense of national unity and integrity.”
The dormitory cited several activities as grounds for disciplinary investigation, including hanging flags or symbols, singing protest songs, going on hunger strikes, carrying or displaying banners, participating in protest activities and organizing demonstrations, meetings and ceremonies with ideological or political aims.
Speaking to local media the evicted students denied any involvement in the protests and announced plans to pursue legal remedies.
“We have learned that we are permanently expelled from the dormitory we’ve been suspended from for the past five months. Even though it has not been proven that we took part in the protest — and protesting is our most natural right — being evicted is dragging all of us into deep uncertainty. The scholarships we receive are insufficient for anywhere other than a state-run dormitory. We are being forced into poverty,” said one student.
Following İmamoğlu’s detention in mid-March, students across Turkey took to the streets in protest. The demonstrations expanded into calls for boycotts of classes and examinations, receiving support from unions, prominent public figures and opposition politicians.
The protests prompted threats of eviction from dormitory management nationwide. In some cases, students were forcibly removed, with staff packing their personal belongings into trash bags.The students affected have condemned these actions as unfair, arguing that participating in protests is their constitutional right rather than a criminal act.
