A student studying at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (KASK) in Ghent has been detained during protests against the arrest of the mayor of Istanbul. Why exactly the student was arrested is not clear. ‘We request the immediate release so that she can continue her studies,’ says KASK dean Filip Rathé.
Ghent photography student arrested in Turkey during protests, calls for her "immediate release"
Colin Clapson
Published:
The first-year photography student holds Turkish nationality and is studying photography at the KASK. She also possesses a valid residence permit for Belgium. She left for Istanbul at the beginning of April to visit her family. On 9 April, she took part in a demonstration against the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
Why exactly the student was arrested, the KASK cannot say. But according to some teachers, she was present to photograph the protests and was subsequently arrested and ‘charged with insulting the president’.
According to Turkish opposition newspaper Cumhuriyet, the student has been in a Turkish jail cell for at least two weeks. In a letter she is said to have sent to the newspaper, she says she had booked a return ticket to continue her classes in Belgium. "But instead of getting on the plane, I participated in the monthly cleaning of the prison today. I scrubbed the walls and floors," she wrote.
The student has kidney and heart problems and it is believed she also urgently needs medication. ‘We are in contact with teachers and the people surrounding and counselling her. We have been told that she is receiving the necessary healthcare,’ Filip Rathé said. ‘But it is important that she can return as soon as possible.’
Request for immediate release
According to the Turkish newspaper, the student's lawyer is said to have already made four requests asking for the student's release, but without a response. KASK and the Ghent Conservatory are asking for the student's immediate release: "As a school, we put the safety and health of our students first. We want her to be able to continue her studies in Belgium".
In a letter to the Turkish ambassador to Belgium, federal MP Axel Ronse (Flemish nationalist N-VA) asks that the case be given attention. "I am a federal MP and had the pleasure of having Esila Ayık on an internship a few months ago. She studies photography at the KASK in Ghent and wanted to portray a politician and parliament. (...) We know her as a promising student."
"The situation seems distressing not only because of the impact on her studies and mental well-being, but especially on her physical health. (...) I am already very grateful to you for the attention you are willing to devote to this dossier," the letter from Lawmaker Ronse reads.