Held in custody for 45 days: Rümeysa Öztürk recounts her experience after being released

Turkish doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk, who was held in custody for more than 6 weeks in the United States due to her support for Palestine, has been released. Having regained her freedom, Öztürk expressed that she had been deprived of both her personal rights and her academic career during this process.

Following the release decision by American Judge William Sessions at the hearing held on May 9, Öztürk returned to the state of Massachusetts and held a press conference at Logan International Airport in Boston. Öztürk, who is pursuing her doctoral studies as a Fulbright scholar at Tufts University, shared her experiences.

In her statement, Öztürk said, “In the last 45 days, I have been deprived of my freedom and my education during a critical time in my PhD.”

Expressing her satisfaction at being reunited with her family, academic colleagues, and students, Öztürk stated, “This was a very difficult time for me, for the Tufts University community of which I am a member, and for my loved ones in Turkey, but I am very grateful to all of you for all your support and kindness.”

Speaking at the press conference, Öztürk did not neglect to thank her lawyers. She emphasized that thanks to the defense team that never left her side throughout the legal process, she maintained her faith in the American legal system.

Not only her lawyers but also politicians and human rights defenders were involved in the process of Öztürk's release. US Senator Ed Markey, Representative Ayanna Pressley, and representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) were also present at the press conference.

ACLU lawyers, who have provided legal support to Öztürk since the beginning of the detention process, argued that the student's arrest was unjust from the start. They stated that the allegations linking Öztürk to Hamas were baseless. ACLU Massachusetts Director Carol Rose drew attention to the lack of evidence for the accusations, saying, “These are unsupported allegations that they (US government lawyers) were given plenty of time to come forward and prove, yet they showed no evidence whatsoever.”

Democratic Senator Ed Markey criticized the US government's approach to international students, stating, “Freedom of speech and due process are everyone's rights; we all share these rights. Therefore, this homecoming is just the beginning of the struggle we must all undertake on behalf of all our freedoms.”

Markey also evaluated the situation with the words, “This is a victory for Rumeysa, for justice, and for our democracy.”

Representative Ayanna Pressley also addressed Rümeysa Öztürk, saying, “We never forgot you. We will not rest until you are completely exonerated.”

LEGAL BATTLE CONTINUES

One of Öztürk's lawyers, Mahsa Khanbabai, stated that the legal process is not yet complete and announced that they will attempt to prove that her visa was “unlawfully revoked” at the hearing to be held in Vermont on May 22.

Criticizing the US administration's recent harsh practices toward foreign students, Khanbabai said, “They did this outside of their authority, in a way we have never seen before in our history of immigration law regarding students.”

WHAT HAPPENED?

Rümeysa Öztürk, a doctoral student at Tufts University, was taken into custody by six masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers on the night of March 25 while she was on her way to have iftar with her friends.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had announced to the public that Öztürk's student visa had been revoked and that she would be deported. Rubio also announced that the visas of more than 300 foreign students, whom he described as “Hamas supporters” and “lunatics,” had also been revoked.

However, federal judge Denise Casper had stayed the deportation order issued against Öztürk.

The Tufts University administration had also openly called for the release of their student. University President Sunil Kumar stated in a declaration submitted to the court that Öztürk's detention had “paralyzed the school's international community” and threatened campus safety.

Finally, Vermont Federal District Judge William Sessions had ruled for Rümeysa Öztürk's release on bail.

News Source: AA