Tufts University has thrown its weight behind the legal case for Rumeysa Ozturk, demanding her immediate release so she can finish her studies, Middle East Eye reported on Friday. This move makes Tufts the first university to have done so in the wake of students being detained and arrested by U.S. federal immigration agents over pro-Palestine activism.
In a declaration heard Thursday at the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts, university president Sunil Kumar said that Tufts "seeks relief so that Ms Ozturk is released without delay so that she can return to complete her studies and finish her degree." Kumar's statement constituted part of an amended petition submitted to the court.
The university confirmed that Ozturk is a third-year doctoral student "in good academic and administrative standing," who is described by those at the prestigious institution as "a hard-working student dedicated to her studies and the Tufts community.” Kumar added the university “has no information to support the allegations that she was engaged in activities at Tufts that warrant her arrest and detention.”
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