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A U.S. court approved $50,000 in bail for Turkish physicist Furkan Dolek, offering the first major development in a case that has drawn attention from Turkish-American organizations and the wider scientific community.
The Turkish-American National Steering Committee (TASC) announced the decision and described it as “an important and positive step for justice and public confidence.”
The group also said it expected community members to help raise the required amount.
Turkish physicist Furkan Dolek welcomed the ruling through a written message and described it as “a ray of hope for justice, solidarity, and the honor of science.”
He said the support he received “was not only for a scientist, but also for justice, humanity, and faith in science,” as reported by Anadolu Agency.
His family and supporters responded by launching a GoFundMe campaign to cover the bail, stating that each contribution would help "bring a brilliant scientist back to his laboratory and give science itself room to breathe again."
The ruling comes after weeks of uncertainty about Dolek’s legal status, his detention conditions, and the timeline for his case. His family said they have yet to receive information about the next court appearance, though they welcomed the decision as the first clear step toward securing his release.
They have also remained in contact with Turkish consular officials, who helped confirm his location earlier in the process.
Authorities located Furkan Dolek at the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility in early September after he went missing during a protest walk toward Canada.
His disappearance triggered a week-long search by his family, activists, and Turkish diplomatic officials. Before he stopped posting online, he wrote about exhaustion and the physical strain of the walk, which he framed as a protest against his immigration situation.
His sister told Türkiye Today that officials from Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry and the New York Consulate General played a key role in finding him. She said the family had spent days calling police departments and checking with local authorities without success.
They only received confirmation when consular officials informed them that Dolek had been transferred to Buffalo.
The family expressed concern about the lack of communication and the uncertainty surrounding his health. They said they struggled to obtain official documentation or a case number during the initial period and described the process as stressful and opaque.
Their priority then became establishing contact with him and securing legal clarity, both of which remained unresolved until the bail ruling.
Furkan Dolek first gained public attention in March 2024 when he raised concerns about radioactivity exposure and unsafe conditions at Fermilab, a major U.S. Department of Energy laboratory in Illinois.
He said he had witnessed “exploited researchers forced to work under unsafe conditions” and described a culture in which misconduct went unaddressed. He also posted a video that showed him operating a crane to remove a 300,000-volt feedthrough without any safety training.
According to his statements, he submitted reports through official whistleblower channels but did not receive protection. Instead, he said he faced harassment, dismissal, and retaliation from those involved in laboratory management.
He described the experience as a warning that “if a CERN scientist with documented protections can be silenced, then any researcher, anywhere, can be,” as reported by Anadolu Agency.
These allegations surfaced during a period when Fermilab was already under scrutiny for safety failures and management lapses. US Department of Energy evaluations over several years cited budget problems, oversight weaknesses, and repeated safety concerns.
A whistleblower report in 2024 also alleged sexual assault cover-ups, workplace violence, safety breaches, and retaliation against critics, as reported by WTTW. Fermilab rejected the report and said it contained inaccuracies.
Turkish physicist Dolek worked at Fermilab through his position at Virginia Tech, where he served as a postdoctoral associate from March 10, 2023, to April 12, 2024, according to the university.
His J-1 research visa was revoked in March 2024, and Virginia Tech suspended his employment on April 12, 2024, leaving him without a valid status. He said the overstay was “sponsor-induced, not voluntary,” and he described repeated attempts to contact the U.S. Department of State to resolve his situation.
He also said that his belongings, including his French residence permit, were confiscated at Fermilab during the dispute. His family told Türkiye Today that they did not have access to written documents about the visa cancellation because Dolek lost many personal items during his protest walk.
They said he had abandoned some of his belongings to continue traveling and that others had been confiscated.
According to his posts, his attempts to obtain an official exit document or clarification about his legal status went unanswered. He said that a State Department hotline agent told him an update was on the way, only to later admit that the request had already been opened and closed without action. He described this as evidence that he was “lied to” and left without a path to regain legal standing.
After months with no resolution to his immigration status, no salary, and no ability to work, Dolek began a protest walk from Chicago toward the Canadian border.
He wrote on LinkedIn that the immigration system left him “with no legal way to work, no support, and no way out,” and he presented the walk as a final attempt to draw attention to his situation.
He said he planned to document the entire route and hold governments “accountable on an international stage.” His posts described physical strain, including burning legs and blisters.
His last message came from the Akwesasne region near the St. Lawrence River, where he wrote about his exhaustion. Soon after, local police and immigration authorities detained him.
For several days, his family did not know whether he was safe, detained, or missing. They received messages from activists suggesting he had been taken into custody, but officials did not confirm until Turkish consular representatives intervened.
This lack of information formed a core part of the family’s appeals for transparency.
Dolek had previously faced a separate legal issue at Fermilab.
In March 2024, the Kane County Sheriff’s Office arrested him for trespassing after Fermilab reported that he refused to leave on-site housing during a dispute involving the discovery of cannabis in his residence. Dolek denied that the cannabis belonged to him.
The case lasted nearly a year because of confusion about county jurisdiction. Wilson Hall, the building where the incident occurred, sits across the border between Kane and DuPage counties.
Although Kane County pursued the case, a court dismissed the charges in February 2025 because the events took place within DuPage County’s legal boundaries. DuPage County did not file charges.
Dolek said he believed the arrest was connected to the retaliation he faced after reporting misconduct at the laboratory, as reported by WTTW.
The updated whistleblower report referenced the case and criticized the involvement of certain members of Fermilab leadership.
Fermilab said it could not comment on individual personnel matters.
Despite the legal turmoil, Dolek has a long record of academic work. Data from CERN, InspireHEP, and Scopus placed Furkan Dolek in the top 1% of researchers in his field.
He has over 600 publications and nearly 20,000 citations, and he has worked with hundreds of datasets throughout his career.
He completed his doctorate in Switzerland and conducted research at CERN before joining projects at Fermilab. His family often emphasizes his academic achievements when speaking publicly about his case.
This background has shaped the public reaction to his legal struggles, with many supporters framing the situation as one that affects not only a scientist but also broader debates on workplace safety, treatment of foreign researchers, and accountability at large federal laboratories.
What comes next for physicist Dolek after release order
The bail ruling allows Dolek to leave federal detention once the full $50,000 is raised. His family and supporters said they will continue their efforts until his release is secured.
Dolek said the ruling represents progress, but he also stressed that “we are still on an unfinished path.”
His message described the decision as another step “toward freedom, science, and truth,” and he thanked those who supported him during his detention.
His family said they hope the ruling will open a more transparent period in the case. For now, they remain focused on completing the bail process and preparing for the next phase of legal proceedings.
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