YTÜ files criminal complaint against students for decorating pine tree
The traditional pine tree decorating event at Yıldız Technical University has been taken to the judiciary this year due to allegations of damage to public property. The university administration has filed a complaint against 16 students with the prosecutor's office.
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The pine tree decorating event, which is held annually by students at Yıldız Technical University's Davutpaşa Campus during the New Year period, has taken a different turn this year. According to a report by Cumhuriyet, the university rectorate has applied to judicial authorities regarding 16 students, alleging the crime of "damaging public property" on the grounds that a spruce tree on campus was damaged during the event.
According to the allegations, the university administration stated in the petition submitted to the prosecutor's office that the tree's branches were broken during the decoration process and that the tree's physical integrity was negatively affected. The petition also stated that some of the figures hung on the tree carried symbolic meanings. In a statement made by the rectorate, it was claimed that one of the figures hung on the tree "symbolized the execution during the Sheikh Said rebellion" and that this both damaged the physical structure of the tree and carried symbolic sensitivity.
Following these developments, it was noted that the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has launched an investigation into the matter in line with the university administration's complaint.