Sacked Boğaziçi academic files lawsuit against rectorate

Prominent academic and documentary filmmaker Can Candan has filed a lawsuit against the rectorate of Istanbul's Boğaziçi University over his dismissal by the new acting rector. The lawyers said that Candan's dismissal was “arbitrary,” went again “public interest” and contradicted constitutional princes.

Photo by Christian Bergmann.

Duvar English

Filmmaker and academic Can Candan who was in July dismissed by the new acting rector of Istanbul's Boğaziçi University, has taken the dismissal decision to the judiciary.

Candan's lawyer Fırat Kuyurtar released a statement saying that the new acting rector Prof. Dr. Naci İnci cited “Candan's lack of attention towards the classes” and “his failure to fulfill the required conditions as stated in the law” for the decision to dismiss the academic.

Kuyurtar however said that these allegations were unfounded and they had responded to them in the filed lawsuit petition.

“The real situation is this: My client Can Candan is not wanted by Prof. Dr. Mehmet Naci İnci at the university. And the reason is clear: Can Candan is one of the academics who has protested the unlawful rector assignment procedure and submitted petitions to the relevant authorities for the law to be implemented,” the lawyer said.

Calling Prof. Naci's move “unlawful,” the lawyer said that Candan's dismissal will lead to disruptions in the academic program and works. “We expect the Istanbul Administrative Court to stop this unlawfulness,” he said.

İlkay Bahçetepe, a lawyer for Turkey's Union of Education Workers (Eğitim-Sen), said that Candan was fulfilling his job as a very successful academic at Boğaziçi University since 2007, and his dismissal was “arbitrary,” went again “public interest” and contradicted constitutional princes.

“We are representing our Eğitim-Sen member Can Candan in this lawsuit. We share with the public that we will continue our legal struggle for scientific freedom and the democratic understanding of management to be realized, against all the unlawful implementations of the system of trusteeship,” Bahçetepe said.

Candan had been outspoken during the months-long protests against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's appointment of Melih Bulu as the rector of Boğaziçi University in January. Bulu was again removed by Erdoğan in July and was instead replaced by the new acting rector İnci.

After İnci assumed the post, he dismissed Candan from the university.