Turkey reverses controversial appointment of university rector

The appointment of a governing party loyalist as rector of Istanbul’s Bogazici University sparked months of protests.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has removed Melih Bulu as the rector of a top Istanbul university, an appointment that has sparked months of protests and hundreds of arrests. A presidential decree published in the Official Gazette on Thursday announced the decision. It did not provide a reason for the change or any further details. The appointment of Bulu, an academic and former political candidate, to the post at Bogazici University has been criticised as undemocratic and the protests began against the move in early January.