At least 11 detained in police crackdown on students’ protest in Ankara

Eleven students were taken into custody during a rally at Ankara University on Monday. Earlier, the protest on the Cebeci campus was surrounded by police and violently dispersed. The students wanted to make a public statement on the occasion of the 40th foundation day of the Higher Education Council (YÖK).

In addition to student organizations, numerous youth associations also supported the protest. The state supervisory body of Turkish universities is controversial and has been criticized for years. The authority is accused of being an “institution of the coup regime” and of curtailing the academic, scientific and administrative autonomy of universities.

What the arrested students are charged with is unclear. However, it can be assumed that they are accused of violating Turkish Assembly and Demonstration Law No. 2911.