The Turkish Foreign Ministry said Sunday it is closely following the case of a Turkish PhD student who was detained in the US last month after writing a pro-Palestinian article for a student newspaper.
Rumeysa Ozturk, 30, was one of four students who wrote an op-ed in The Tufts Daily at Tufts University, criticizing the school’s response to student activists demanding the school “acknowledge the Palestinian genocide,” disclose investments and divest from companies with ties to Israel.
Ozturk was apprehended by masked immigration officials March 25 in a Boston, Massachusetts, suburb and subsequently driven to Vermont before being put on a plane and sent to a detention center in the state of Louisiana. She also had her student visa revoked after being arrested.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Ozturk’s case has been under close watch since the beginning and it described her as a “symbolic figure” in an ongoing legal process that has emerged from developments in US domestic politics that affects thousands of international students.
It said the proceedings are being carried out in line with the preferences of Ozturk and her family, and with respect for her rights.
Ozturk has received consular support from the start, the statement added. The consul general in Houston visited her several times in Louisiana, while the Boston consul general held an online meeting with her.
“Contrary to politically motivated and misleading claims, there are two separate legal proceedings concerning Ms. Ozturk,” said the Foreign Ministry.
The first is an immigration case in Louisiana. At an April 16 hearing that was attended by officials from the Houston Consulate, a court reviewed the legal basis of the US decision to revoke her visa. A ruling is expected May 1. The court rejected a request for her release on bail ahead of the decision.
The second case concerns her objection to the detention. A Vermont court, which held a hearing April 14, ruled April 18 that it has jurisdiction and ordered Ozturk’s transfer to the state by May 1. Her bail request in that case is scheduled for review May 9.
The ministry said it will continue to monitor both processes closely and provide all support.
Ozturk is one of several foreign students attending American universities who have been detained by immigration officials and had their visas revoked because of their pro-Palestinian support and demonstrations on campus.