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#firstamendment

41 posts17 participants0 posts today

BREAKING! Turkish #TuftsUniversity student #RumeysaOzturk to be released

May 9, 2025

"A federal judge has ordered the release of a Turkish student at Tufts University who is being held in Louisiana after US immigration officials arrested her in Massachusetts.

"Rumeysa Ozturk, 30, testified virtually at a court hearing on Friday, where US District Judge William Sessions said the student met all the conditions needed for release and lambasted the government's case against her, according to BBC news partner CBS.

" 'Her continued detention chills the speech of millions in this country who are not citizens,' the judge said.

"Ms Otzurk co-authored an opinion piece in her campus newspaper that was critical of #Israel's war. Her arrest follows the White House's crackdown on what it has classified as antisemitism on US campuses.

"Earlier this week, the judge ordered that Ms Ozturk be transferred by 14 May to immigration authorities in Vermont, where she was last held before she was taken to Louisiana.

"The judge said Friday that she should be released immediately without travel restrictions, so she can go to Vermont or Massachusetts, where Tufts is located, as needed.

"Videos of Ms Ozturk's arrest, showing masked plain-clothes officers handcuffing her and taking her into an unmarked car after a Ramadan celebration, sparked nation-wide protests.

"On Friday, the judge heard from a number of witnesses in the case, including Ms Ozturk, a doctor and a Tufts University professor.

"During her testimony, Ms Ozturk told the court about her Fulbright cholarship and her PhD work. She said her asthma condition had worsened during detainment, and at one point, had to take a short break after suffering an asthma attack on camera.

"The government did not call any witnesses in the hearing.

"After hearing from witnesses for the defence, Judge Sessions said Ms Ozturk had raised 'very substantial' claims that her #FirstAmendment and #DueProcess rights were violated. He said the only evidence the administration had against Ms Ozturk was her op-ed.

" 'That literally is the case,' he said, according to court reporters. 'There is no evidence that she has engaged in violence or advocated violence.'

"Judge Sessions told the court that the government must notify him of when Ms Ozturk is freed and said he would deny any motions to block her release."

bbc.com/news/articles/cp3nd0dw

Someone holds a sign in protest with Rumeysa Ozturk's face
www.bbc.comTurkish Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk to be released on bailHer arrest follows the White House's crackdown on what it has classified as antisemitism on US campuses.
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Any outcome seems likely to lead to significant cuts to #Harvard’s #research & #workforce & undermine its pre-eminence for years. Without its sprawling research apparatus, there is a fear that it could become more like a small, teaching-focused liberal arts college.

#University leaders believe the only clear options are either working w/ #Trump or somehow securing huge sums of money quickly, perhaps from private donors….

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…But behind the scenes, several senior officials at #Harvard & on its top governing board believe that the #university is confronting a crisis that could last until #Trump is out of power, acc/to 3 people involved in the discussions. Even if Harvard’s #legal case is successful, these officials say, the school will still face enormous troubles that may force the nation’s oldest & wealthiest university to rethink its identity & scale.

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#HarvardUniversity became the leader of #academia’s resistance to the #Trump admin—& soaked in acclaim from the White House’s critics—when it refused a roster of intrusive demands & took the govt to court last month.

#Legal experts saw a strong case, built by a team of elite conservative lawyers, to win back billions of #research dollars that the govt had stripped away. Supporters cheered on #Harvard’s unusually sharp public tone.

#Harvard Leaders See Only Bad Outcomes Ahead as They Battle #Trump

Harvard could choose to either keep fighting or seek a deal with the administration. Its leaders are starting to realize that any path will very likely change the identity of the #school.

#law #democracy #Constitution #FirstAmendment #AcademicFreedom
nytimes.com/2025/05/08/us/harv

New filing yesterday in #MahmoudKhalil's case: Petitioner’s Supplemental Brief Regarding Vagueness Claims

The #Trump policy of targeting #noncitizens who speak out for #Palestinian rights & #MarcoRubio's use of the "foreign policy ground" for #deportation are impermissibly vague, & violate #FirstAmendment & #FifthAmendment rights.

storage.courtlistener.com/reca

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#Trump, a [purely self-interested] #Republican, is also trying to #deport some pro-Palestinian #international #students at #US #schools, saying their presence could *harm* US #ForeignPolicy interests [utter crap].

The #protesters in the library also demanded the release of #MahmoudKhalil, a #Palestinian activist & #Columbia graduate student who remains in a Louisiana immigrant #jail after he was among the first to be #arrested for #deportation.