Free Rumeysa Ozturk — Protect Free Speech, End Political Repression

On March 25th, in broad daylight, Rumeysa Ozturk—a 30-year-old Tufts University Ph.D. student—was handcuffed by masked, plain-clothed federal agents and forced into an unmarked SUV as she left her home after fasting for 13 hours for Ramadan. She was given no warning, no access to legal counsel, no due process, and no explanation. She was taken to an undisclosed location. The only reason the public even knows this happened is because it was captured by nearby cameras. Why was she targeted? Because she exercised her constitutionally protected right to free speech. A year ago, she co-authored a student newspaper op-ed urging Tufts University to divest from companies complicit in Israel’s assault on Gaza. For that, she is now in federal custody, her visa revoked, and faces deportation. This is an outrage. The First Amendment is not optional. Freedom of the press and freedom of expression are foundational to any functioning democracy. If someone can be abducted off the street and silenced for publishing an opinion piece, then none of us are safe. This is a chilling act of political repression—and it cannot be ignored. If the U.S. government is now targeting students for peaceful advocacy against war and genocide, then we are witnessing the collapse of the very principles this country claims to uphold. I demand that you publicly denounce this violation of civil liberties and call for the immediate release and protection of Rumeysa Ozturk. No one should be arrested, detained, or deported for writing an op-ed. The world is watching. Do your job.