27.03.2025 13:12
Turkish student Rümeysa Öztürk, who is pursuing her PhD in the United States, faced backlash after being taken into custody in handcuffs without any stated reason by ICE officials. Hundreds of people gathered in the U.S. to demand Öztürk's release. Turkey's Embassy in Washington stated that Öztürk's situation is being closely monitored and that necessary actions have been taken with the relevant U.S. authorities.
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Turkish student Rümeysa Öztürk, who is pursuing her PhD at Tufts University in Massachusetts, USA, was detained yesterday evening by officers from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) near her home.
ENCIRCLED ON HER WAY TO IFTAR
Öztürk, a Fulbright scholar in her final year of PhD studies, was stopped by plainclothes ICE officers as she left her home in Somerville to go to iftar. Security camera footage shared on social media showed six officers, some with masked faces, surrounding Öztürk and trying to forcibly take her phone from her hand. As ICE officers handcuffed the Turkish student from behind, her vocal objections were captured on camera. While Rümeysa Öztürk continues to be listed as "detained" in the ICE database, no statement has been made by ICE officials regarding her detention. Previously, Palestinian activist Mahmud Halil, who recently graduated from Columbia University, had also been detained.
STATEMENT FROM THE EMBASSY
The Turkish Embassy in Washington made a statement regarding Öztürk's situation, who was detained in the USA. The statement indicated that Öztürk's situation is being closely monitored and that her family is being regularly informed. It was stated, "Efforts have been made with the U.S. Department of State, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and other authorities. Every effort is being made to provide the necessary consular services and legal support to protect our citizen's rights."
HUNDREDS TOOK TO THE STREETS
In Massachusetts, hundreds protested the detention of Turkish student Rümeysa Öztürk by ICE officers at Tufts University. A crowd of hundreds gathered at Powder House Park as part of a demonstration organized by an activist group called the "Palestinian Liberation Coalition."
"WE STAND WITH RÜMEYSA"
Protesters carrying signs that read "Free Rümeysa" and "We stand with Rümeysa" demanded the immediate release of Öztürk. Rümeysa Öztürk, who is pursuing her PhD in the USA, was detained by plainclothes ICE officers as she left her home in Massachusetts for iftar on the evening of March 25.
RESPONSE FROM HER BROTHER
Rümeysa's brother, Asım Öztürk, reacted with a written statement to the detention of his sister by ICE officers near her home in Massachusetts. Stating, "As someone who has completed a PhD in International Relations, I strongly condemn the incident both legally and scientifically," Öztürk reported that his sister was detained solely because of her signature on a joint article published in the school newspaper.
"SHE WAS TARGETED THROUGH THIS ARTICLE"
Dr. Öztürk stated that his sister wrote an article criticizing the university administration's approach to the Palestine-Israel issue "without engaging in any provocative or aggressive action regarding Palestine," accusing ICE police of "hunting witches," and noted that the website "Canary Mission" had "targeted" Rümeysa through this article. In the continuation of his statement, Dr. Öztürk evaluated, "Canary Mission equates the Palestinian issue with terrorism, terrorizing supporters of Palestine and promoting the restriction of fundamental rights and freedoms."
Öztürk emphasized that his sister Rümeysa Öztürk is being victimized by such unjust practices "because she carries a Muslim identity," stating that the detention practice is "a step that disregards freedom of expression, which is the root paradigm of the West and America, and is self-denying."
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