Last known footage of Elizabeth Tsurkov before being abducted in Iraq
Princeton University acknowledges for the first time that Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Russian-born Israeli national, was kidnapped in Iraq after traveling to the country for her doctoral thesis and academic research on its behalf. Emma, Elizabeth's sister, told the university magazine "We don’t have a proof of life. We don’t have a list of demands. We don’t have anything," adding that “If nothing is done, I will never see her again.”
More stories:
Michael Hotchkiss, deputy spokesperson for the university, explained that "Elizabeth was kidnapped while enrolled at the University and was in Iraq conducting research related to her approved Ph.D. dissertation topic." According to him, the university is still "deeply concerned about the safety and well-being of Princeton graduate student Elizabeth Tsurkov and are eager for her to be released so she can rejoin her family and resume her studies."
The statement further read, “We have offered support to Elizabeth’s family and are in communication with government officials and experts for guidance on how the University can best help to bring Elizabeth home safely."
Elizabeth Tsurkov’s sister Emma said, “It’s good [that Princeton] acknowledges that she was there to do research for her dissertation, so [I’m] glad that statement is finally being made.”
In mid-September, Emma Tsurkov visited Princeton to meet with Provost Jennifer Rexford and Joyce Rechtschaffen, assistant vice president of the Office of Government Affairs at Princeton. Tsurkov said during the meeting that a senior university official had confirmed that Elizabeth “was doing approved dissertation research in Baghdad when she was kidnapped.”
Zurkov's doctoral dissertation states that her research includes “lab-in-the-field experiments in Iraq.” Emma Tsurkov said her sister presented her research plan in a meeting that was open to the Department of Politics in late 2021, and her dissertation committee approved the prospectus in May 2022.
"Multiple Princeton employees were well aware of my sister’s research in Baghdad,” she said. "I expect that Princeton… will make good on its promise and help [raise] this issue with the U.S. government and any other capacity," she added.
According to reports, Tsurkov was abducted in Baghdad by militants from the pro-Iranian Kataib Hezbollah militia operating in the country. Several months ago, a senior Israeli official admitted to receiving a sign of life from the Israeli-Russian researcher.