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The family of a Turkish physicist, who worked at prestigious research institutions including CERN and Fermilab, has not heard from him for four days after he was reportedly detained near the Canadian border, raising concerns about his safety and whereabouts.
Dr. Furkan Dolek, who holds advanced degrees in physics and has worked at major international research facilities, was last known to be in the Mohawk territory along the St. Lawrence River, according to his recent social media posts.
His family in Türkiye's Adana province says they fear for his life after losing contact.
Dolek completed his master's degree at Çukurova University's Physics Department before receiving a full scholarship from Türkiye's Atomic Energy Authority to pursue doctoral studies abroad.
After completing his PhD in Switzerland, he was invited to Virginia Tech University in 2023 for academic research and also worked at CERN and Fermilab, facilities operated by the U.S. Department of Energy.
According to family accounts, Dolek reported safety violations and security gaps he discovered while working as a data specialist at the laboratories to the U.S. Department of Energy.
Following his whistleblower reports, he allegedly faced intense pressure and workplace harassment before being dismissed from his position.
His mother, Zuhal Dolek, said her son conducts important research in physics with over 500 publications and more than 20,000 citations.
"He worked as a researcher at CERN and then carried out work at Virginia Tech and Fermilab. He was targeted because he detected irregularities and radiation exposure incidents at these laboratories and reported them," she said.
The family alleges that Dolek's visa was canceled and his legal rights were stripped away, while Virginia Tech refused to provide him with an exit document.
He was briefly detained on charges of unauthorized laboratory entry, though the family says he had been permitted to collect his belongings from his office.
While he won the resulting lawsuit, the exit document was still not provided.
Dolek's father, Hasan Dolek, said the family sold their home in Adana and sent $50,000 to support their son's legal struggles.
"Our scientist son's important work is evident. We sold our house in Adana to save him and sent $50,000. But right now we cannot get any news. We can't hire a lawyer there anymore," he said.
The family expressed concern that under the new refugee laws, Dolek could be sent to a detention facility in El Salvador.
They described how he struggled for 1.5 years without money, legal protection or permanent housing before beginning what he called a solo march to Canada to raise awareness about his situation.
In his final social media posts, Dolek described his situation as a "distress call from a scientist" and said he was walking from Massena to the Mohawk territory despite exhaustion and blistered feet.
He had been documenting his journey and calling for international support, describing his case as a test of whether "international law and human rights can survive political games."
The physicist, who specializes in dark matter and high-energy physics research, has not been reachable since his reported detention four days ago.
His family says his phone and computer were confiscated, and they are appealing to authorities for help in locating him.
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