Turkish court arrests two Boğaziçi University protesters for 'resisting officers'

Duvar English

Two protesters detained during the Feb. 2 protests against the president's appointment of a rector to Boğaziçi University were arrested three days later on charges of resisting police officers. 

Ironically, the Feb. 2 protest was a show of solidarity to the 159 Boğaziçi students detained during protests the day before, almost exactly a month after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's appointment of a party member as the university's rector sparked nationwide outrage.

Anıl Akyüz and Şilan Delipalta were the only two out of 23 detainees from the Feb. 2 protests to be jailed, as the remaining 21 received a combination of house arrest, international travel bans and legal probation.

Ankara's stance against the Boğaziçi protesters has been violent, with one officer in particular giving protesters a slogan to rally behind when he told a peaceful demonstrator to "look down" as he walked down the street.

The phrase "We will not look down" quickly became a catchphrase used by supporters of the movement, with messages of solidarity pouring in from all parts of society. 

"We never bowed our head down, we never looked down. From here on out, both in here and out there, we will continue to not bow down. We will continue our fight," Akyüz is heard saying in a video shared by his lawyer. 

"This is an attempt to silence universities and the country, but it's all for nothing! They will not be able to silence us, the university or the country!" said the other arrested protester, Delipalta.

Some 65 more demonstrators were detained on Feb. 4 during protests in support of Boğaziçi University. 

Tensions in domestic politics have been rising in the past weeks as the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has been carrying out antagonizing rhetoric against the demonstrators.