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In a new statement, Princeton University has acceded to Emma Tsurkov's request and issued a statement confirming that kidnapped graduate student Elizabeth Tsurkov was there on research for her dissertation. The statement did not delve into whether the travel itself was approved by the University, which the University has denied in the past.
Tsurkov vanished in March and was last spotted in Baghdad’s Karrada district. On July 5, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Tsurkov was being held by the Shiite militia Kataib Hezbollah, a group linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, which has been classified as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. Department of State since 2009.
In August, Emma Tsurkov, Elizabeth’s sister, wrote an op-ed accusing the University of not releasing a statement specifically stating that Elizabeth was in Iraq for dissertation research. “Princeton was trying to distance itself from any responsibility for Elizabeth’s situation,” she stated, adding that U.S. government officials said that “Princeton officials were leading them to believe that my sister was operating on her own.”
On Sept. 11, Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker, both members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wrote a letter urging the Biden administration to pressure the Iraqi government to release Tsurkov. They reasoned that if Tsurkov’s home countries — she holds both Israeli and Russian passports — are unable or unwilling to facilitate and advocate for her return, then the United States can step into the role. However, due to privacy and security reasons, no further comment was made by the State Department in response to the letter.
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Analysis by Andrew Yang and Michelle Miao
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