Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) released a video message calling for the release of Sama Safi, an American student who was arrested in the West Bank.
The Israeli military (IDF) showed up to her home in the West Bank at 3:00 AM and arrested Safi, along with four other students at Birzeit University in the West Bank.
According to Van Hollen, Safi was arrested, blindfolded, and taken away in a military vehicle. Her parents are concerned for her health. Their daughter suffers from an autoimmune disease that requires medication.
Senator Van Hollen and one other member of Congress, Senator Peter Welch, are the only ones speaking out about Sama Safi. Legacy media has not covered the story as of Friday evening.
Senator Van Hollen posted a message with the video on Facebook:
Yesterday, the IDF seized 4 students from their homes in the West Bank, including 20-year-old American, Sama Safi.
The Israeli government didn’t tell her family or the U.S. Embassy where or why she was being taken or whom is holding her without charges.
America must secure her release NOW.
Sama Safi is not the first
Safi is not the first person Van Hollen has personally worked to free from prison in a foreign country. In 2023, he traveled to El Salvador and demanded to see a constituent who was mistakenly deported to CECOT, a torture prison.
The Senator eventually got to meet with Kilmar Abrego Garcia and was instrumental in his release and return to the United States.
