In the USA, doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk, who was detained for supporting Palestine, reportedly had three asthma attacks while in custody due to lack of access to her medications. Meanwhile, a regional judge has decided that Öztürk will be tried in the state of Vermont.

In the USA, doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. After reviewing the petitions from lawyers, a Massachusetts district judge prepared a report.

In the report, it was stated that Vermont was the most suitable location among the options for Öztürk’s trial. The fact that the Turkish student was detained and her lawyers applied to the court on the night of March 25th in Vermont was given as the reason.

The regional judge had issued a halt to the deportation of Rümeysa Öztürk. Until the court application was concluded, the decision was to put the deportation on hold. With respect to her detention in Massachusetts, US House Representative Ayanna Pressley, who continued her duty in the US Congress, shared that Öztürk, since being detained on March 25th, had no access to her medications and had “suffered three asthma attacks at the detention center in the state of Louisiana.”

Pressley, in her support posts for the Turkish student on account X, based on information received from Öztürk’s lawyer, stated, “She did not receive the necessary asthma medications. This is a violation of her fundamental right to medical care. This is persecution, neglect, and a damn moral and legal failure.” Pressley demanded from the Department of Homeland Security “immediate access to the medical care she needs” for Öztürk and also called for the return of the Turkish student’s visa and her release. In her statement directly addressing Massachusetts Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, she used the words, “(Öztürk) being detained poses a risk to her health and rights every minute she is held.”

DETENTION OF RÜMEYSA ÖZTÜRK
Turkish student Rümeysa Öztürk, who is studying for a doctorate at Tufts University in Massachusetts, was taken into custody by 6 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers wearing masks while on her way to have dinner with friends on the evening of March 25th. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Öztürk’s student visa had been revoked and she would be deported. Rubio stated that visas of over 300 foreign students he described as “Hamas supporters” and “loonies” (anti-Israel) had been revoked. Federal judge Denise Casper in the US issued a stay against the deportation of Turkish student Öztürk who was detained by ICE officers. The Dean of Tufts University, Sunil Kumar, requested the release of the students while speaking to the court, stating that Öztürk’s arrest had “paralyzed the school’s international community” and they were now concerned about the school’s security.