Thousands of university students across Turkey have begun boycotting classes, protesting the arrest of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and what they call an erosion of democratic rights and academic freedom, Turkish media reported on Monday.
The nationwide boycott, initiated by students at Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ), quickly spread to dozens of campuses including Boğaziçi, Istanbul Technical, Galatasaray, Yıldız Technical, Hacettepe, İstanbul and Ege universities.
Students cited the politically motivated revocation of İmamoğlu’s university diploma as well as his subsequent detention and arrest as the tipping point for broader grievances, including what they described as government repression, judicial interference and police violence on campuses.
On Sunday a Turkish court ordered that İmamoğlu be jailed pending trial on corruption charges, a development that intensified student anger and led to a significant expansion of the boycott.
Campuses were largely deserted Monday morning, with many students joining marches, sit-ins and forums instead of attending lectures.
At İstanbul Technical University, security officers locked the doors of the Maçka campus building, preventing students’ exit or entry. Some students reportedly left through windows to join demonstrations. At Galatasaray University, students placed a chalkboard at the faculty entrance declaring an academic boycott.
At İstanbul University, students from multiple departments held forums and hung boycott banners in the communications faculty. Yıldız Technical University’s Beşiktaş campus was largely empty as students began their own boycotts. Ege University students marched from the cafeteria to a central square after announcing their participation.
Students from Bahçeşehir and Bilgi universities also announced academic boycotts, calling on other institutions to join in solidarity. Social media posts from student groups emphasized that the protests were not only about İmamoğlu’s arrest but also a wider response to what they described as the undermining of academic freedom and democratic institutions.
Despite the growing scale of the boycott, university administrations at Boğaziçi, İstanbul Technical and Ankara universities issued statements indicating that classes would continue as scheduled. Student groups have rejected those directives, continuing to organize and expand boycotts on their campuses.
In Ankara 24 students detained during the protests were referred to court on Monday, with prosecutors requesting house arrest for four, arrest for three and judicial supervision with a travel ban for the remaining 17.
The protests began after a March 19 police operation in which İmamoğlu and dozens of others, including several opposition mayors, were detained. The nationwide student response has since turned into one of the largest coordinated campus boycotts in recent years.
Protests and boycotts are expected to continue throughout the week.