Students across Turkey protest negligence of state-run dorms after death in elevator

Duvar English

University students across Turkey on Oct. 26 protested the state-run dormitories affiliated to the Student Loans and Dormitories Institution (KYK) and the amount of negligence of their managements.

The move came after one university student died as an elevator fell in a state-run KYK dormitory in the western province of Aydın, who got stuck while trying to get out of the falling elevator. Students staying in that dormitory had earlier protested the management, saying they warned them several times regarding the elevator but it was not fixed.

On Oct. 26, the police also attacked students protesting and commemorating in Aydın and handcuffed them from behind.

Late on Oct. 26, students protested for the right to healthy and safe housing in many provinces, especially Istanbul, İzmir, Ankara, Çanakkale, Eskişehir, Mersin, Bursa, Diyarbakır, Sinop and Tunceli.

Students of Istanbul's Yıldız Teknik University shouted "Zeren is our sister," referring to Zeren Ertaş who died in the falling elevator in Aydın.

Çanakkale Safiye Hüseyin Female KYK Dormitory students shouted "Don't be silent, as long as you remain silent, it will be your turn."

Again in the western Çanakkale, students of Kerime Sultan, Nusrat and March 18 KYK dormitories marched to the city center.

Students of the Seyyid İbrahim Bilal Yurdu KYK Dormitory in the northern Sinop province also joined the protests.

On the other hand, the manager of the same dormitory saying "If you think the elevator is going to crash, then don't get in the elevator," to the students has drawn ire.

Cevizlibağ KYK Dormitory students in Istanbul also shouted "Don't be silent, as long as you remain silent, it will be your turn." The students opened banners reading "We don't want to die, we want to study."

The protests also continued in the Güzelhisar KYK Dormitory in Aydın, where the student died.

Students staying in the KYK dormitories in many other provinces joined the protests.

Experts pointed out the privatization of necessary elevator inspections as the reason for the negligence. Before the privatization, the TMMOB Mechanical Engineers Chamber were conducting the inspections.

An Aydın court detained the official of the elevator company responsible for inspecting falling elevator in the state-run KYK dormitory in Aydın, where Zeren Ertaş died.

University students staying in the KYK dormitories have already been facing several difficulties, such as overcrowded rooms, inadeaquate meals, finding worms and insects in their dishes, obligation of entering the dorm at 11 p.m. latest.