Türkiye is working to secure the release of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish citizen detained in the United States.
“We are continuing our efforts for the release of our citizen Rumeysa Ozturk, who was detained in the US; Our Embassy in Washington and the relevant Consulates General are providing all kinds of consular services and legal support,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oncu Keceli said on Saturday.
Ozturk, 30, a Turkish PhD student and Fulbright scholar, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) late Tuesday near her home in Somerville, Massachusetts, while heading to an iftar dinner.
On Friday, Türkiye’s Consul General in Houston visited Ozturk at the detention center in Louisiana, where she is being held, according to Keceli.
He added that Ozturk’s requests were conveyed to local authorities and her lawyer. The consul general is set to visit her again on Saturday.
On Friday, a Massachusetts federal judge blocked Ozturk’s deportation until further notice, pending a ruling on her habeas corpus petition against unlawful detention.
Detained for criticising Israel
Ozturk’s lawyer and family say she was arrested following a campaign by Canary Mission, a pro-Israel website that blacklists pro-Palestine students and activists, stemming from an article she wrote in 2024 criticising Israel.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the revocation of Ozturk’s visa on Thursday, and defended her arrest.
"We revoked her visa," Rubio said at a news conference in Guyana, referring to Ozturk's F1 student visa. "We give you a visa to come and study and get a degree, not to become a social activist that tears up our university campuses."
Rubio, however, did not provide evidence linking Ozturk to violence.
The US has cancelled visas of more than 300 students as a clampdown on anti-Israel activism sweeps American campuses, the Secretary of State confirms.
