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Erdogan sacks embattled university rector after months of protests 

Melih Bulu, the unpopular political appointee to the top post of Turkey’s prestigious Bogazici University, has finally been fired.

Chris McGrath/Getty Images
Protesters chant slogans as they walk through the streets during a protest against the appointment of new Bogazici University rector Melih Bulu in the Kadikoy district on Feb. 2, 2021, in Istanbul, Turkey. — Chris McGrath/Getty Images

In an unexpected overnight move right before the fifth anniversary of the failed 2016 putsch, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan removed Melih Bulu from his contested post as rector at Istanbul’s Bogazici University, one of Turkey’s most prestigious higher education institutions. 

The sacking, interpreted as backpedaling by Erdogan, comes after months of protests by Bogazici students and academics as well as their supporters across Turkey against the political appointee.    

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