IZMIT, Turkey, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Eight students at Turkey's Kocaeli University violated a penal code article by shouting derogatory slogans during a recent protest, a lawsuit alleges.
The lawsuit filed by the Gendarmerie, a Turkish group that polices the civilian population, alleges the students used hurtful slogans against Yusuf Turkish Council of Higher Education President Yusuf Ziya Ozcan, Bianet reported Friday.
The use of those derogatory slogans during Ozcan's April 3 visit to Kocaeli University violated penal code Article 301 that makes any comments against Turkey or its government illegal.
The slogan at the center of the legal controversy was "Get out Gendarmerie, universities are ours," Bianet reported.
The students allegedly used the questionable slogan during a protest by nearly 100 university students at the university's Umuttepe Campus.
Bianet said the Ministry of Justice must approve the Article 301 case before the Gendarmerie can move forward with its request for two years in prison for the university students.
