Last modified: Thursday, November 24, 2011
Egyptian court orders release of IU student
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 24, 2011
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The U.S. State Department and the U.S. Consul General in Cairo have confirmed this morning (Nov. 24) that an Egyptian court has ordered the release of Indiana University student Luke Gates and two other U.S. college students, who had been detained by authorities in Cairo since Nov. 21. Arrangements are being made for Gates' immediate return to the U.S.
Indiana University is relieved and delighted to learn that Luke and the two other U.S. students detained by Egyptian authorities have been released and this issue apparently has been resolved satisfactorily. The university appreciates the role the American University in Cairo and the U.S. State Department played in supporting Luke and his family throughout this situation.
Gates, a junior who is double majoring in political science and Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, is enrolled in a semester-long program at the American University in Cairo. Through its Office of Overseas Study, IU facilitates access for interested IU students to the American University in Cairo, which is a direct enrollment program. Gates is one of three IU students enrolled at the American University in Cairo this semester.
The university has been in close contact with its other students at the American University in Cairo, as well as their families, and as result of the escalating violence in the region has strongly urged the students to return home immediately. The university has pledged to work with the students to ensure that their academic progress is not affected if they choose to leave before the end of the semester.
