[Introduction to North Cyprus]
North Cyprus Universities
[Complaints and Feedback page]
The ISAS wishes to make the following absolutely clear to visitors to our site: all universities are individually given the opportunity -prior to publication on our website- to dispute, request amendment, or comment on all items published about them.
What is the ISAS?
The ISAS (International Student Advice Service) is a non-profit organisation, based in Switzerland, providing free advice to prospective students wishing to study in Northern Cyprus.
It is a new organisation to help prospective and existing students who are studying, or are thinking of doing so, in Northern Cyprus. It is run by professional teachers with experience of working with international students and in many universities around the world. The inspiration for this web site arose from the many complaints from Non-Turkish students studying in North Cyprus: mainly that the advertising material and education recruitment seminars they attended, prior to coming to North Cyprus, bore no relation to their own experiences after they arrived in North Cyprus.
Our Mission
To provide a FREE forum for students to find impartial information about the universities in Northern Cyprus, and to allow students to exchange ideas and advice about studying abroad (away from their home country).
GIRNE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY STUDENT SERIOUSLY INJURED IN SEXUALLY MOTIVATED ATTACK.
An update to this incident was printed in the local English Newspaper 'Cyprus Today', dated 15-21st March 2008, edition 839, page 9. These details were faxed to us by a concerned reader on Sunday 16th March 2008.
" Two students arrested in connection with the attempted rape and murder of an Iranian student have been released without charge. Police said there was a lack of evidence against Nigerian Francis Ninadi and Iranian Hasra Arman. The pair had been arrested immediately after the alleged attack on the Girne American University student in Karaoglanoglu, on February 27. The victim is now recuperating with her family in Iran, after being unconscious for several days following the attack."
"She had a very positive attitude and seemed to be in a sound state of mind, said university officials." "She has flown back to Iran with her family, and her registration has been put on hold. We hope to have her back for either summer school, or the new semester in September."
ISAS-CH comment: We are pleased to hear that the young female student concerned is now making steady progress at home, and sincerely hope she continues to make a full recovery from this appalling incident. It would be interesting to know why these young men were arrested in the first place, as it is reported that the student had no idea who her attackers were, given her condition at the time of the assault.
Francis and Hasra have now been tarnished with a 'criminal' label in a small community that they have decided to receive their higher education in; with little chance of proving their innocence. Given their cultural backgrounds such a label is likely to remain for some considerable time. We hope the local Police (and GAU) continue their investigation into this serious attack, and aim - from whatever source - to discover the true identities of the assailants, and bring them to justice.
The worrying thing is, that two unidentified and potentially dangerous young men are wandering around Girne American University campus. Unfortunately, isas-ch is aware this is not the first incident of this kind at universities in North Cyprus. Irrespective of the University it occurred in, each one always attempts to hide such incidents or minimise the seriousness of the assault. We therefore reiterate with even greater emphasis, that students from abroad (including Turkey), should include the personal safety aspect in any decision they make before signing up to study in any TRNC universities.
WARNING YET AGAIN!
ATTEMPTED RAPE AND MURDER OF AN IRANIAN STUDENT AT GIRNE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY.
We have received several reports about a very serious incident that appears to have occurred in the vicinity of GIRNE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY’S female dormitory on Wednesday 25, February. A young female Iranian student was attacked by one Nigerian and one Iranian male student, and sustained very serious injuries, after she had been hit over the head with an iron re-enforcing rod. Regular visitors to this website will be aware this is not the first time that Iranian students have been assaulted violently and without provocation.
Reports are sketchy, and two male students who have contacted us about the incident, fear a cover up of events. Their fears might be well-founded, as when we contacted the police headquarters in Lefkosa, North Cyprus, they said that they were unaware of any such incident.
Further inquiries confirmed that the assault did take place and that two students; Mr Hasra Aramad and Mr Francis Ninadi have been remanded in custody by the Girne district court. According to the English newspaper ‘Cyprus Today’ (dated 8th March, 2008) the victim remains unconscious in Lefkosa State Hospital.
Reports of this incident in the local press have been virtually non-existent, and the report that we have mentioned in the English Language weekly ‘Cyprus Today’ is buried on page 11, in a ‘News in Brief column’. Interestingly, of the few reports we have read, no mention has been made of where the incident took place, or has there been any reference to those involved being associated with GIRNE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY. I am sure that the management of GIRNE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY will be pleased that we have now corrected that unfortunate oversight on their behalf.
Isas-ch has also made the Iranian Ambassador in Bern and Nicosia aware of the incident. Students should feel free to contact us (we guarantee your details will remain confidential to isas-ch.org) with any further information, but we would urge them to contact the following as well:
Mr Majid Takht Ravanci, Mr Ali Riza Bikdeli,
Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran,
68,Thunstrasse PO BOX 8145,
3006 BERN, 8.Elias Papakyriako Street,
SWITZERLAND. Acopolis,
NICOSIA,
REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS
Tel: +41 313 511801. Tel: +357 2314459 or 72315896.
Fax: +41 313 515652. Fax:+357 2315446
Email: iranemb@cytanet.com.cy
Contact Information: We aim to respond to all
emails as soon as possible.
- Electronic mail:
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isasch@isas-ch.org