Turkish embassy follows detention of student Rumeysa Ozturk in U.S.
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Güneşli
13 oC
Güneşli
The Turkish Embassy in Washington has confirmed it is closely following the detention of Turkish citizen Rumeysa Ozturk, a Fulbright scholar and Ph.D. student at Tufts University, who was arrested by U.S. immigration authorities earlier this week.
In an official statement released Thursday, the embassy said it has contacted the U.S. Department of State, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and other relevant authorities to inquire about Ozturk's situation.
"The situation of our citizen Rumeysa Oztürk, who was detained in Boston, USA, is being closely monitored, and her family is regularly informed,” the embassy stated. “Every effort is being made to provide the necessary consular services and legal assistance to protect the rights of our citizen.”
Ozturk was arrested late Tuesday near her home in Somerville, Massachusetts, while on her way to an iftar dinner during the holy month of Ramadan, according to her lawyer, Mahsa Khanbabai. Eyewitnesses reported that she was detained in broad daylight by masked federal agents.
ICE officials allege that Ozturk was involved in activities supporting Hamas, a Palestinian group designated as a terrorist organization by the United States. However, no formal charges have been filed, and her lawyer and supporters categorically deny the claims.
“This arrest appears to be politically motivated,” Khanbabai said, pointing to a viral video showing Ozturk being handcuffed by agents despite offering no resistance.
The incident has sparked outcry from civil rights advocates and pro-Palestine groups, many of whom link Ozturk’s detention to a broader pattern of intimidation against Muslim and Palestinian-supporting students.
Notably, Ozturk had been targeted by Canary Mission, a controversial pro-Israel website that profiles and blacklists pro-Palestinian activists. In 2024, she co-authored a student op-ed in The Tufts Daily, calling on the university to acknowledge what she described as the "Palestinian genocide" and to divest from companies affiliated with Israel.
According to ICE’s detainee locator, Ozturk is currently being held in a detention facility in Louisiana, far from her academic community in Massachusetts.
Her legal team and the Turkish government continue to press for her release and transparency in the legal process. (ILKHA)
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