After Release on Bail, Pro-Palestinian Protester Rumeysa Says: "I Have Faith in the U.S. Justice System"

After Release on Bail, Pro-Palestinian Protester Rumeysa Says: "I Have Faith in the U.S. Justice System"

Rumeysa Öztürk, a Turkish PhD student studying at Tufts University in the United States, has been released on bail after being held in immigration detention for more than six weeks. Her lawyers stated that she was detained for expressing her views on Gaza, calling it a politically motivated arrest.

Arriving at Boston's Logan International Airport on Saturday, Öztürk said,

“Over the past 45 days, I lost both my freedom and my education. This was a crucial time for my PhD.”
However, she expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support and assistance she received.

The 30-year-old was arrested on March 25 in Massachusetts, had her student visa canceled, and was transferred to a detention center in Louisiana. She was a co-author of an opinion piece published in her university's student newspaper that called the Israeli war in Gaza a genocide.

Federal Judge William Sessions ordered her release on bail, noting that the arrest raised concerns of violating the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which protects freedom of expression.

Outside the court, Democratic Senator Edward Markey and Representative Ayanna Pressley said Rumeysa’s experience was “cruel and targeted”—intended to intimidate others into silence.

Öztürk said,

“I have faith in the American judicial system and will continue to pursue my case.”
She is currently continuing her legal battle from Vermont and will appear at immigration hearings in Louisiana via video conference.

The case is being viewed as a threat to free expression within U.S. academic institutions. Human rights organizations and legal advocates argue that Rumeysa’s arrest was an attempt to silence student voices.