We write as alumni of Tufts University and members of the Class of 1989, urging the Tufts administration, faculty and students to be steadfast in demanding the immediate release of Tufts graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk.
History has shown us that authoritarian regimes target academics first, fearing the power of inquiry, free expression and the pursuit of truth. We do not choose the times in which we live, but we do choose how we act in those times. Now is the moment for Tufts to stand firm in defense of academic freedom, human rights and the First Amendment principles that form the bedrock of intellectual life.
The academic community is defined not only by scholarship, but by solidarity. If we fail to speak out when one of our own is unjustly detained, we surrender to the forces that seek to silence and repress. A threat to one scholar, one student, one voice, is a threat to all.
We call upon Tufts University to uphold its values and its motto, Pax et Lux, and to take all necessary steps to help secure Öztürk’s release. To the students of Tufts: Use your voices, your platform and your power. The world is watching.
Gabriella Mirabelli
Francesca Terrell
Laura Gerard
Shara Karasic
Stephanie Hamilton
Nan Houston
Michael Williams
J. Andrew Moss
Adam Glick
Wendy Allmendinger
Becky Sinnreich
Kay Hoon Tan
Allison Dubner Weiss
Kim Franklin Trundle
Jeremy Norton
Karen Irvine
Jeff Teach
Bethany Yeaton
Heather Weston
Sabina Letang
Samantha Langbaum
Melissa Feldman
Debra Feldstein
Evelyne Girardet
Margaret Choe
