EMU apologises for opening disciplinary proceedings against student for ‘kissing girlfriend’

The Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) in Famagusta apologised to a student after erroneously opening disciplinary proceedings for a student for “kissing his girlfriend” on Friday.

The university’s rector’s office invited the student, a 22-year-old Cypriot, to apologise in person, and confirmed that there is no reference to “kissing” in the university’s disciplinary regulations.

The disciplinary proceedings had been revealed by Ozgur Gazete on Friday, which reported that the student had received verbal notification of disciplinary proceedings on November 6 after kissing his girlfriend on a university operated bus between EMU and Kyrenia.

He then received written notification of the proceedings on November 27, before speaking anonymously to Ozgur Gazete.

He said that two security guards had physically removed him and his girlfriend from the bus, before a security team of ten people arrived to escort him away.

He said, “I was treated like a terrorist.”

The university’s academic staff’s trade union Dau-Sen had earlier made a statement about the matter, describing the proceedings as “reactionary and unlawful”.

They added, “this anachronistic investigation has made the university a laughing stock.”