US senator condemns arrest of Turkish student by US authorities

ISTANBUL

US Sen. Bernie Sanders on Thursday denounced the arrest of a Turkish PhD student, calling it part of President Donald Trump’s “move toward authoritarianism.”

Rumeysa Ozturk, a Fulbright scholar, was detained late Tuesday by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) near her home in Somerville, Massachusetts, while heading to an iftar dinner, her lawyer Mahsa Khanbabai said.

A video circulating online shows masked agents handcuffing her and confiscating her phone.

Her arrest follows the Trump administration’s broader crackdown on pro-Palestinian activists and academics.

"Why? She wrote an op-ed critical of Israel's war against the Palestinian people," Sanders said on X, regarding Ozturk's arrest.

He urged action against what he called Trump’s “political persecution of dissidents.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed Thursday that Ozturk’s student visa had been revoked, saying visas are not granted for “social activism” that disrupts university campuses. He provided no evidence linking her to any violent activity.

Ozturk’s supporters say she was targeted after a pro-Israel website, Canary Mission, highlighted an op-ed she co-authored in 2014 criticizing Israel.