Palestinian American journalist Ali Abunimah has been deported from Switzerland after a three-day detention, sparking widespread condemnation from human rights organisations and UN experts.
Abunimah, an outspoken advocate for Palestinian rights and Executive Director of The Electronic Intifada, arrived in Zurich on Friday for a series of events but was detained at the airport for an hour of questioning before being allowed to enter the country.
Swiss authorities accused him of “offending against Swiss law”, although no further details were provided.
During his detention, Abunimah said Swiss Defence Ministry intelligence agents interrogated him at an isolated location without outside communication and he was refused anything but water until his deportation to Istanbul on Monday.Â
The following day, three plainclothes officers “violently” arrested him, according to eyewitnesses, and forced him into an unmarked vehicle without disclosing his destination.Â
After his release, Abunimah said: “This ordeal lasted three days, but that taste of prison was more than enough to leave me in even greater awe of the Palestinian heroes who endure months and years in the prisons of the genocidal oppressor.”
International outrageÂ
The move has sparked outrage and highlighted a broader crackdown on pro-Palestinian voices across Europe amid the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza.Â
Abunimah’s detention has been met with a global outpouring of condemnation. UN experts and human rights organisations have denounced the move as a violation of free speech.
Irene Khan, UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, called the arrest “shocking news” and demanded an urgent investigation.
Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, expressed alarm over Europe’s “increasingly toxic” environment for free expression, urging a prompt inquiry into the matter.Â
Geneva-based rights group Euro-Med Monitor criticised the detention as part of a “dangerous trend” of silencing journalists and activists who document human rights abuses.
Amnesty International also condemned the arrest, warning that the global crackdown on critics of Israel’s policies is “alarming and must immediately stop”.
Despite the ordeal, Abunimah expressed gratitude for the international solidarity shown during his detention: “I’m deeply grateful to each and every person who stood up for me.”
Earlier this year, Germany cancelled a Palestinian rights conference and barred entry to British doctor Ghassan Abu Sittah, who has worked extensively in Gaza. British authorities have used counterterrorism laws to raid the homes of journalists critical of Israel, including Asa Winstanley, an associate editor at The Electronic Intifada.Â
Since the war began, over 200 journalists have been killed in Gaza, according to local authorities, further underscoring the dangers faced by those documenting the conflict.
The Swiss Federal Office of Police (Fedpol) confirmed that Zurich police requested an entry ban for an individual but declined to comment on specifics, citing privacy.
A spokesperson told The New Arab: “Fedpol can issue entry bans and expulsions as preventive policing measures, following a comprehensive evaluation of each individual case. The primary focus is on preventing concrete security threats. Preventive policing measures must be proportionate.”
