Scandalous allegation at Marmara University! 'I was subjected to falaka at the Idealist Hearths'

SİNEM NAZLI DEMİR

CHP İzmir MP Yüksel Taşkın has brought the allegation that a student studying at Marmara University Faculty of Law was forcibly detained and subjected to falaka by an Idealist group to the parliamentary agenda via a written question. In the 6-question proposal directed to the Ministry of National Education (MEB), Taşkın asked whether an investigation had been launched into the incident.

SUBMITTED TO THE PARLIAMENTARY AGENDA

Drawing attention to the allegations that the student was assaulted and subjected to torture on campus, Taşkın stated, "It is clear that this incident is not isolated. It is known that the group in question creates its own private spaces on the university campus and that similar incidents of violence and threats have occurred before. The university administration and officials are turning a blind eye to this situation." Stating that the students' right to education in an environment free from violence is being systematically violated, Taşkın said, "We will not ignore any official who tries to cover up such incidents. We will not allow universities to be surrendered to an environment of pressure and fear."

"TELL US WHERE YOU ARE, WE WILL KILL YOU"

Speaking to 12Punto, law student Alperen Kargıoğlu recounted the process he went through. Kargıoğlu stated that one day a poster was hung in front of the Marmara University Faculty of Education, with the words "Sympathizers cannot enter Marmara University" on it and "Marmara Idealists" written underneath.

Kargıoğlu stated that after the poster was hung, a friend of his commented "lol" under a social media post featuring the poster, and that the people who hung the poster found this friend at school, forced him to publish an apology post, and also assaulted another student who made a different comment inside the Faculty of Economics.

Kargıoğlu described the subsequent process with these words:

"When I heard about all these events, I went to the university cafeteria, to the section where they usually sit, posed at that table, and shared this photo, saying, 'I am not apologizing, my place and home are known.' I also wrote a vulgar insult underneath; I do not condone what I did, but I wanted to respond with the same immorality to those who forced my friend to publish an apology post. After I shared this post, my phone started being called from different numbers. Those who called me said, 'We will not let you into the school. Tell us where you are, we will kill you.' While these events were happening, one day when I went in front of our university's Göztepe Campus, I encountered a group of about 10 people. Actually, I knew they were there because a female friend of mine who saw this group before me informed me that they were waiting for me. In fact, during this time, the people in this group threw a cigarette at my female friend's face. My acquaintances there had already called the police before I went, and when I arrived at the gate, the police were on the opposite street."

"THE POLICE STATION CHIEF CHOKED ME"

The law student stated that when he went to the front of the campus, he got into a verbal argument with this group, and one of the group members said to him, "come on, let's see your manhood." He reported that at the end of the argument, both sides were taken to the Göztepe Police Station in Kadıköy because they filed complaints against each other.

Saying that a person named Harun Mercan, one of the group members, gave threatening looks to him and his female friend at the police station, Kargıoğlu said, "I objected, and Harun started choking me. I did not make any physical contact. When we argued, the station chief came and choked me. When I pushed the chief, they put me in reverse handcuffs," he said.

"INSTRUCTIONS CAME FROM ANKARA, YOU COULD BE SHOT"

Emphasizing that during this process, a distant relative of his who was previously in the MHP came to him and said, "Instructions came from Ankara, you could be shot, delete this post, withdraw your complaint, and they will withdraw theirs too," Kargıoğlu stated that he withdrew his complaint because he was afraid, and that his aforementioned relative put him in his car, saying, "I will take you home."

"THEY BEAT ME WITH FALAKA AND SAID 'WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE YOU AT THE HEARTH'"

The law student said that while driving in the car, he realized after a while that the car he was in was following another vehicle in front of them, and stated, "My relative, who realized that I noticed the tailing, said, 'Nothing will happen, we are going to a safe place. You will talk to someone.' Later, we entered a building that said 'Kadıköy Idealist Hearths'. They brought me before Oğuzhan Akci, one of the people mentioned in the first social media post, and Oğuzhan started threatening me, saying, 'What you did is treachery, I don't hesitate to die or kill.'"

Emphasizing that the group members in the building told him, "We will film you, and you will apologize in front of the hearth. Now your punishment is falaka," Kargıoğlu said that a student named Dursun Yücel, who was in the same class as him, prepared for the falaka:

"Dursun Yücel took off my shoes and lifted my feet into the air. Oğuzhan started hitting my feet. They beat my feet with falaka for 10 minutes, and when it was over, they shook my hand and said, 'We would like to see you at the hearth, forgive us. Come have a tea with us.'"

ÖZGÜR ÖZEL MET WITH THE STUDENT WHO WAS SUBJECTED TO VIOLENCE IN 2024

Stating that the psychological violence he was subjected to at school continued after the falaka incident, Kargıoğlu said, "Sometimes they would sit at the same cafeteria table as me and ask questions like, 'Still continuing with leftism, meeting with terrorists?' After the falaka issue, I could not file a complaint. At that time, I had no support, no communication with any group or party. I thought I would be worse off if I complained. During this time, I tried to meet with MPs and explained the violence I experienced," he said.

The law student, who went to the CHP Headquarters in September 2024 and met with CHP Chairman Özgür Özel, explained that Özel promised to help him but that he did not receive any news for a while.

"When I found the courage, that is, about 1 month ago, I went to the prosecutor's office and gave a statement. When I tried to learn the fate of the investigation, I learned that their statements had still not been taken. Later, I made a post on social media. I didn't know my post would be this effective," said Kargıoğlu, emphasizing that there has been no development in the file yet.

Stating that he has not gone to school since making the social media post, the student named Alperen stated that the school is on break and that he does not know what will happen when he returns, adding, "I will try to take precautions in my own way."

News Source: Sinem Nazlı Demir