Türkiye 'closely monitoring' detention of Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk

The Turkish Embassy in Washington, DC said Wednesday that it is closely monitoring the detention of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish Ph.D. student at Tufts University and Fulbright scholar, who was arrested by US immigration authorities.

The embassy said in a statement that it contacted the US State Department, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other authorities over Ozturk's detention.

“The situation of our citizen Rumeysa Oztürk, who was detained in Boston, USA, is being closely monitored, and her family is regularly informed,” the statement said. “Every effort is being made to provide the necessary consular services and legal assistance to protect the rights of our citizen.”

Ozturk was arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) late Tuesday near her home in Somerville, Massachusetts while heading to an iftar dinner to break her fast during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, according to her lawyer Mahsa Khanbabai.

She was taken into custody by masked federal agents in broad daylight, with authorities claiming she engaged in activities supporting the Palestinian group Hamas—an allegation her family and advocates strongly deny.

No charges have been filed against Ozturk, according to her lawyer. A viral video captured the moments of her detention, showing masked individuals handcuffing her despite her not resisting. ​​​​​​​

Her detention follows a campaign by Canary Mission, a pro-Israel website that blacklists pro-Palestine students and activists. In 2024, Ozturk co-authored an op-ed in Tuft University's newspaper, The Tufts Daily, urging the school to acknowledge what she described as the Palestinian genocide and to divest from companies with ties to Israel.

The ICE Locator website indicated that Ozturk was being held at a detention facility in Louisiana.