Fascists torture Kurdish Alevi student in Turkish university’s dorm

Duvar English

Two fascist students attacked and injured a Kurdish Alevi student with whom they were roommates at the dorms of Turkey’s private Koç University in Istanbul with a sharp instrument and a hot iron. 

The student stated that he was attacked because he was Kurdish Alevi, and his lawyer announced that there were audio recordings of the racist attack which were shared with the authorities as well.

Alper Sarıca, the lawyer of the assaulted student, stated on X that the prosecutor's office did not even take the perpetrator's statement for more than a month despite the audio recordings and the injury. 

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has been investigating the attack that took place on Nov. 15, according to reporting by the HalkTv.

The prosecutor's investigation file included the transcripts of 5 separate audio recordings. One of the attackers said to the student: "The east of Turkey after a certain point should be set on fire as it is..." He continued, "You are a sub-race. You should be exterminated. You have to accept that you are a slave. You have to obey. We do not want you in this room. If you do not leave, we will kill you.”

The student, who slept in the laboratory for two days due to the racist harassment in the room, was subjected to physical violence again on the night of Nov. 15 when he went to his room to take a bath. The assailants hit the student in the face with a belt, tried to apply a hot iron to his face, and injured his face and abdomen with a sharp instrument.

Student's lawyer Sarıca also stated that one of the perpetrator's recording stated, "You (Kurds) will experience the same things as the Jews during the Victory Party rule." Victory Party is a far-right nationalist party that has been particularly disseminating racist and xenophobic propaganda particularly before the 2023 elections. Several social media users reported that the perpetrator was a follower of the far-right party and self-proclaimed himself as a "fascist."

The assailants claimed that they were subjected to "sexual harassment" by the student, yet the student's lawyer stated, "It is clear from the records of the student's card entry to the room and the contradictions in the perpetrator's statements reflected in the forensic examination and police station statement that sexual assault never occurred."

Lawyer Sarıca stated that a judicial control order was issued for the student who was subjected to the racist attack on the grounds of the attackers' allegations.

Koç University also banned the tortured student from entering the campus for one month based on these allegations. The lawyer said, "Although I personally went to the university's legal counseling office and presented the evidence, he was not even allowed to take his exams. No make-up exams were offered. Now they are telling him to suspend his enrollment."

The lawyer also stated that the university dormitory disciplinary board decided not to penalize the student and that the allegation of sexual assault against the student was not substantiated.

While one of the perpetrators was also suspended from the university, the other assaulter was not subjected to any sanction.

Koç University made a written statement after the attack became a trending topic on social media and stated that an investigation had been launched on the matter. Various social media users slammed the university's statement and criticized its inaction for more than one month until the attack came to the attention of the public.