Turkish doctoral student at Tufts handcuffed and detained by masked DHS agents: ‘It looked like a kidnapping’

Her lawyer said on Wednesday that the Ministry of the Interior Security had been detained by a national and national student at the University of Tafs by the Ministry of Internal Security agents without explanation.

The lawyer, Muhsa Khanabay, said in a petition submitted in the Boston Federal Court, that Romisis Ozturk, 30, had just left her home in Sompeel on Tuesday night when she stopped.

It seems that the video obtained by the Associated Press shows six people, their faces are covered, and the Oztuk phone took the Ozturk while screaming and handcuffs.

“We are the police”, the group members hear say in the video.

A man hears asking, “Why do you hide your faces?”

Khanabay said that Oztuk, a Muslim, was meeting with friends of breakfast, a meal that quickly broke at sunset during Ramadan.

“We are unaware of her whereabouts and have not been able to contact her. No charges have been brought against Romisa yet,” Khanabay said in a statement. Khanabay said that Ozturk has a visa that allows her to study in the United States.

“This is not a general safety, it’s intimidation.”

The neighbors said they shook the arrest, which occurred at 5:30 pm on a residential bloc.

“It seemed to kidnap,” said Michael Mattis, a 32 -year -old software engineer. “They approach them and start seizing their faces covered. They cover their faces. They are in unique vehicles.”

The President of the University of Tats, Sonlle Kumar, said in a statement that the school learned that the authorities had detained international high school students and the student’s visa was terminated.

Kumar said: “The university had no prior knowledge of this incident and did not share any information with the federal authorities before the event.”

Kumar did not mention the student, but the university spokesman Patrick Collins confirmed that Ozturk is a PhD student at the College of Graduate Studies for Arts and Sciences.

The American Democratic Deputy, Ayana Presley, described his arrest as “a terrifying violation of the constitutional rights of Romisa in due legal procedures and freedom of expression.”

“She must be released immediately,” Persley said in a statement. “We will not stand by the Trump administration to kidnap students with a legal status and attack our basic freedoms.”

The Massachusetts Public Prosecutor Andrea Joy Campbell has called the video as “annoying”.

She said: “Based on what we know now, it is worrying that the federal administration has chosen and detention, which apparently targets an individual committed to the law because of its political views.” “This is not a general safety, it’s intimidation that will be closely examined in court.”

The court says not to remove Oztuk from the state, but it is listed as being held in Louisiana

The American boycott judge, Andra Talwani, has issued something that gives the government until Friday to answer the reason for the arrest of Ozturk. Talwani also commanded not to move Ozturk outside the Massachusetts area without 48 hours prior.

But as of Wednesday evening, the Immigration Displacement System in the United States and enforcement on the Internet was included in the ice treatment center in southern Louisiana in Basily, Louisiana.

A spokeswoman for the senior Ministry of Public Security confirmed the arrest of Ozturk and the end of its visa.

“DHS and (migration and customs enforcement and customs investigations) found that Ozturk is involved in activities to support Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that enjoys the killing of Americans. The visa is a privilege, not really. The terrorists who kill Americans have been extended and supported to create construction visas.

The article Ozturk Cowrot, which criticizes the university’s response to Palestinian issues

Ozturk was one of four students last March who wrote an article in The Tuffs Daily criticizing the university’s response to its union in the Senate, the community that demanded Tuffs “to recognize the Palestinian genocide”, and revealed its investments and stripping it from companies with direct or indirect relations to Israel.

Friends said Oztuk was not closely involved in protests against Israel. But after publishing the piece, its name, photography and the history of work appeared by Canary Mission, a website saying that it documents the people who “promote the hatred of the United States, Israel and the Jews on the campus of North America.” The joints were the only example of “anti -Israel activity” by Ozturk.

Students and faculty were also nullified elsewhere or prevented from entering the United States because they attended the demonstrations or publicly supported the Palestinians. The administration of President Donald Trump has cited a law that rarely allows the Foreign Minister to cancel visas that can be considered a threat to foreign policy interests.

Supporters gather in Summeril

Hundreds of people in a park demonstrated later on Wednesday, with the spokeswoman after he demanded the spokesperson for her release and accusing both main political parties of the failure of migrants and defending the Palestinians.

The crowd chanted, along with traditional protest slogans such as “Palestine free and free”. Many held Palestinian flags, homemade signs supported and ice opposition.

Zoe Andalsio, a worker in Somerville, said that he went out with his 3 -year -old wife and son to speak against the arrest of Ozturk “crazy” and others.

“I am angry like anyone else of this disappearance, and kidnapping without legal dates, who may speak or not speak against the terrible foreign policy of the United States government,” said Andalcio.

Rose Nazaro, who held a “manual” banner, said that she is afraid that the country will go to the “Nazi” era in which JPEOPLE UST disappears.

“There is no discrimination between illegal immigrants, documented immigrants and green cards,” said Nazaro, a retired college director from Winchster, Massachusetts. “Citizens will be after that, if you are the wrong color, wear the veil.”

“She did not speak badly with anyone.”

Before attending Tuffs, Ozturk obtained a master’s degree from the Development Psychology Program at the University of Colombia University College in New York, according to an article from the graduates in 2021.

Ryan Bilge, a professor of psychology at the University of North Istrern and his friend, described Ozturk as “a soft, gentle and gentle spirit”, deeply focused on research and not closely participating in the campus protests.

The two met for the first time at the University of Istanbul Suhair, where Belj supervised her thesis, before working on cognitive research papers and publishing them together. They remained close after Oztuk arrived in the United States in the 2018 Volibright grant.

“Over the ten years I knew, she has never spoken of anyone else, not to mention being anti -Semitic or racist,” said Bilge.

Turkish diplomats call the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ice

The Turkish embassy in Washington said it was in regular contact with the Ozturk family, and it was closely monitoring and participating in “initiatives” with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ice.

He added in a statement on the social platform X that he is making “every effort” to provide the consulate services and legal support to protect the rights of its citizens.

This story was originally shown on Fortune.com

2025-03-27 10:38:00