Student access blocked, police deployed ahead of Erdoğan’s visit to Boğaziçi University

Security has been tightened at İstanbul’s Boğaziçi University ahead of a visit by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to the school’s South Campus.

The campus has been entirely closed to students and alumni. According to university sources, classes on the South Campus (Güney Kampüs) have moved online, and some students have been removed from the dormitories.

Due to restricted access between campuses, it remains unclear whether any students are currently present inside the South Campus.

Meanwhile, in-person classes are continuing at the North Campus, which is located within walking distance of the South Campus. However, a heavy police presence has been observed in and around the campus and in the nearby Hisarüstü neighborhood.

Bag and ID checks

Students reported that authorities are conducting bag and body searches at campus entrances. In some areas, officers are also carrying out identity checks known as General Information Gathering (GBT), through which officers can view people’s criminal records.

Police barricades have been set up along roads and sidewalks, and plainclothes officers are reportedly stationed throughout the area.

While students began gathering on the North Campus to protest, riot police units were seen positioned at the campus gate. The possibility of a police intervention has further escalated tensions.

During the gathering, students chanted slogans including “YÖK, police, media, this blockade will be broken” and “The day will come, the tide will turn, AKP will be held accountable by the people.”

🔴 Cumhurbaşkanı’nın ziyareti gündemiyle Boğaziçi Üniversitesi’nde yoğun güvenlik önlemi

📢 Kuzey Kampüs’te toplanan öğrenciler, etkinliği protesto etmek için basın açıklaması düzenledi. pic.twitter.com/8nQA68SSQX

— bianet (@bianet_org) February 13, 2026

(GK/TY/VK)