The developments concerning Turkish citizen Rümeysa Öztürk have been closely monitored from the outset.

Our citizen has become one of the symbolic figures of a legal process that has emerged as a result of developments within the domestic politics of the USA and affects thousands of foreign students. The process is being conducted in accordance with the preferences of our citizen and her family, and with full respect for personal rights.

The consular support extended to all Turkish citizens facing hardship abroad has also been provided to Ms. Öztürk from the very beginning. The Turkish Consul General in Houston has visited our citizen on several occasions in the state of Louisiana, and the Turkish Consul General in Boston has held an online meeting with Ms. Öztürk.

Contrary to the claims made in certain statements intended to deliberately mislead the public and politicize our citizen’s situation, there are two separate judicial proceedings concerning Ms. Öztürk.

The first proceeding pertains to an immigration case currently ongoing in the state of Louisiana. At the hearing held on 16 April, which was followed by our Consulate General in Houston, the lawfulness of the revocation of our citizen’s visa by the U.S. authorities is being examined. A decision on this matter is expected to be announced on 1 May. The court has denied the request for Ms. Öztürk’s release on bail until that date.

The second proceeding pertains to an objection to Ms. Öztürk’s detention. In the hearing held on 14 April before the court in the state of Vermont, which was followed by our Consulate General in Boston, the decision was announced on 18 April. The court ruled that jurisdiction to examine the objection lies with the state of Vermont and ordered the transfer of Ms. Öztürk to Vermont no later than 1 May. The request for her release on bail is scheduled to be considered by this court on 9 May.

Both legal proceedings will continue to be followed closely by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye through all available means, and the necessary support will be provided.