Türkiye says it’s working to secure release of citizen detained in US

By Seda Sevencan

ISTANBUL (AA) - Türkiye is making efforts to secure the release of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish citizen detained in the US, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oncu Keceli said Saturday.

“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,” Keceli said.

Türkiye’s Consul General in Houston visited Ozturk on Friday at the detention center in Louisiana where she is being held, Keceli noted.

Her requests were conveyed to local authorities and her lawyer, Keceli said, adding that the consul general would visit her again on Saturday.

On Friday, a Massachusetts federal judge blocked her deportation until further notice, pending a ruling on her habeas corpus petition.

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.

Her lawyer and family said 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 criticizing 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.