US judge rules Rumeysa Ozturk must be transferred from Louisiana to Vermont

Washington, DC – A federal judge in the United States has ordered the government to transfer a pro-Palestine Turkish student, Rumeysa Ozturk, to Vermont for the court to assess legal challenges to her detention.

In a ruling on Friday, District Court Judge William S Sessions found that Ozturk – who is currently held in Louisiana – has presented “significant evidence” to back the allegations that her detention violated her free speech and due process rights.

Ozturk was arrested and had her visa revoked in March. Supporters say she was targeted over an op-ed she co-authored last year, criticising Tufts University for dismissing a student government resolution that called on the school to divest from Israeli companies.

For these claims to be assessed, Sessions wrote, Ozturk’s case needs to be heard in court.

“The Court concludes that this case will continue in this Court with Ms Ozturk physically present for the remainder of the proceedings,” he wrote.

The judge gave the government until May 1 to transfer Ozturk and set a bond hearing on May 9 for her to argue for a temporary release.

Ozturk was sent to a detention facility in Louisiana, in what critics say is part of a government effort to keep detainees away from their supporters and lawyers – and place them in conservative-leaning legal districts.