Latest news with #AliAbunimah
Middle East Eye
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Palestinian journalist Ali Abunimah released and deported by Swiss authorities
Journalist Ali Abunimah has been released from detention by Swiss authorities and deported from the country after being held for three days, the American-Palestinian journalist said on Monday evening. Abunimah, the executive director of the online news site Electronic Intifida, was detained by Swiss authorities on Saturday ahead of a planned speaking event in Zurich, sparking condemnation by activists and UN experts. "On Monday evening I was brought to Zurich airport in handcuffs, in a small metal cage inside a windowless prison van and led all the way to the plane by police," he wrote on X. "This is after three days and two nights in a Swiss prison cut off from communication with the outside world, in a cell 24 hours a day with one cell mate, not even permitted to contact my family." He said he was accused of "offending Swiss law", without being given any specific charges. The journalist said he believed his crime was "being a journalist who speaks up for Palestine and against Israel's genocide". New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Electronic Intifada is a US-based website founded in 2001 that describes itself as 'an independent online news publication focusing on Palestine'. Citing an entry ban, Swiss police said over the weekend that a 53-year-old American had been detained, and that further measures were being considered under its immigration laws. 'Increasingly toxic' Irene Khan, the UN's special rapporteur on freedom of expression, described the arrest as "shocking news" and called for the journalist's release. Francesca Albanese, the UN's special rapporteur on occupied Palestine, said: "The climate surrounding freedom of speech in Europe is becoming increasingly toxic, and we should all be concerned." Abunimah said that he was "hauled off to prison like a dangerous criminal", while Israel's president, Isaac Herzog, who said at the start of the war that there were no civilians in Gaza, "received a red carpet welcome in Davos". "Journalism is not a crime! Speaking out for Palestine is not a crime! Standing against racist genocidal Zionism is not a crime!" he said. I'm free! I wrote this on the plane and I'm posting it just after landing at Istanbul. On Monday evening I was brought to Zurich airport in handcuffs, in a small metal cage inside a windowless prison van and led all the way to the plane by police. This is after three days and two… — Ali Abunimah (@AliAbunimah) January 27, 2025 In October, Asa Winstanley, an associate editor at Electronic Intifida, said 10 British police officers raided his home. Winstanley was not arrested or charged with any offence, but police confiscated his electronic devices, Electronic Intifida said at the time. Citing a letter addressed to Winstanley from 'Counter Terror Command', the website said he had been told he was being investigated for offences under the Terrorism Act connected to his social media posts. It said police were "aware of [Winstanley's] profession" as a journalist. The letter cited 'possible offences' under sections 1 and 2 of the Terrorism Act, relating to the offence of 'encouragement of terrorism'. It said the raid had been conducted as part of an operation codenamed 'Operation Incessantness'. The Metropolitan Police told Middle East Eye that counter-terrorism officers had searched an address in Wembley, north London, and seized electronic devices as part of an investigation into suspected terrorism offences of "support for a proscribed organisation" and "dissemination of terrorist documents".
Russia Today
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Switzerland deports pro-Palestine American journalist
Swiss authorities have expelled the executive director of еhe Electronic Intifada media outlet after detaining and holding him for three days, the Palestinian-American journalist Ali Abunimah wrote on X on Monday. The pro-Palestinian journalist was arrested in Switzerland on Saturday, just hours before he was scheduled to speak at an event in Zurich. 'We do not want an Islamist Jew-hater who calls for violence in Switzerland,' Swiss Security Department head Mario Fehr told Neue Zürcher Zeitung, as authorities were considering 'immigration law measures' against the 53-year-old American man. Abunimah recounted his experience in a lengthy statement upon arriving in Istanbul on Monday. After being arrested by plainclothes officers on Saturday afternoon, he spent three days in a solitary cell, 'cut off from communication with the outside world' and 'not even permitted to contact my family,' he wrote. READ MORE: Switzerland arrests Palestinian-American journalist 'During a police interview on Saturday, in the presence of my lawyer, they accused me of 'offending against Swiss law' without ever telling me what crime I had committed in Switzerland or listing any charges,' Abunimah said, adding that, as far as he knew, he had not been charged with any crime. The next day, he claimed he was questioned by 'Swiss defense ministry intelligence agents' without his lawyer present. 'I refused to talk to them without my lawyer and told them to take me back to my cell,' Abunimah stated, adding that he refused food and any drinks other than water while in detention. 'The police gave me my phone back only at the gate of the plane, so I'm only now seeing the extent of the overwhelming support and solidarity from all over the world,' the journalist said, thanking his lawyer and supporters. READ MORE: American journalist handcuffed & forcibly removed from Blinken's last presser (VIDEOS) Abunimah's arrest drew criticism from several figures within the United Nations. Irene Khan, the UN special rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, called the arrest 'shocking news' and urged Bern to release the journalist in a post on X on Sunday. Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, expressed similar consternation. 'The climate surrounding freedom of speech in Europe is becoming increasingly toxic, and we should all be concerned,' she wrote in response to Khan. Born in Washington, DC, to parents from the West Bank, Abunimah co-founded the Electronic Intifada outlet in 2001. The website publishes news on Middle Eastern events from a Palestinian perspective. Abunimah regularly appears in mainstream media as a vocal advocate for the Palestinian cause.
Al Jazeera
27-01-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Switzerland releases, deports Palestinian American journalist Ali Abunimah
Washington, DC – Palestinian American journalist Ali Abunimah has confirmed that Swiss authorities have released and deported him after holding him for three days. Abunimah, the executive director of the Electronic Intifada publication, suggested in a social media post on Monday that Switzerland detained him because of his advocacy for Palestinian rights. 'My 'crime'? Being a journalist who speaks up for Palestine and against Israel's genocide and settler-colonial savagery and those who aid and abet it,' he wrote. Abunimah was arrested in Zurich on Saturday before he was set to deliver a speech in the city, sparking outrage from Palestinian rights advocates. The Swiss embassy in Washington, DC, did not immediately respond to Al Jazeera's request for comment. The Reuters news agency reported on Sunday that the Swiss police cited an entry ban and other measures under the country's immigration law as the reason for Abunimah's arrest. The Palestinian American journalist said that, when he was questioned by police officers, they accused him of 'offending against Swiss law' without providing specific charges. He said he was 'cut off from communication with the outside world, in a cell 24 hours a day', adding that he was unable to contact his family. He added that he was only given back his phone at the gate of the plane that flew him to Istanbul. Abunimah noted that, during the period when he was taken to prison like a 'dangerous criminal', Switzerland welcomed Israeli President Isaac Herzog to the World Economic Forum in Davos. Herzog has sparked controversy for his stance on Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians. He previously said that there are no 'uninvolved civilians' in Gaza. '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,' Abunimah said. 'More than ever, I know that the debt we owe them is one we can never repay and all of them must be free and they must remain our focus.' United Nations experts had decried Abunimah's detention as an assault on free speech. Irene Khan, a UN special rapporteur for freedom of opinion and expression, described Abunimah's arrest as 'shocking news' on Saturday and urged his release. Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, also called for an investigation into the incident. 'The climate surrounding freedom of speech in Europe is becoming increasingly toxic, and we should all be concerned,' Albanese wrote in a social media post. Abunimah's detention came amid an increased clampdown on pro-Palestine voices in Europe amid the war on Gaza, which UN experts have compared with genocide. In April, Germany shut down a conference for Palestinian rights advocates and denied entry to the British doctor Ghassan Abu Sittah, who had worked in Gaza. Activists have also accused German authorities of cracking down on protests throughout the war. In October 2024, British counterterrorism police raided the home of Abunimah's Electronic Intifada colleague Asa Winstanley — an incident that the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said was part of a 'disturbing pattern of weaponizing counter-terrorism laws against reporters'. Months earlier, British authorities held journalist Richard Medhurst, who is vocally critical of Israeli policies, for 24 hours as he arrived in London. Medhurst said on Saturday that the 'terrorism' investigation against him was extended until May. In Gaza, Israel has killed 205 journalists since the start of the war in October 2023, according to local authorities.
Middle East Eye
27-01-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Ali Abunimah arrest sparks fear of European crackdown on Palestine activists
The arrest of well-known American-Palestinian journalist Ali Abunimah in Switzerland has sparked fear of a further crackdown on pro-Palestinian activists in the West. Abunimah, the executive director of the online news site Electronic Intifida, was detained by Swiss authorities on Saturday ahead of a planned speaking event in Zurich, sparking condemnation by activists and UN experts. "He is currently being detained and has had access to legal counsel," the pro-Palestinian publication said in a statement. "The arrest came one day after Abunimah arrived in Zurich for a speaking tour." Electronic Intifida said Abunimah was questioned for an hour on arrival on Friday, before being allowed into the country. He was then arrested the next day. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters "Abunimah's arrest appears to be part of a growing backlash from western governments against expressions of solidarity with the Palestinian people," it added. "The Electronic Intifada team stands in solidarity with Ali Abunimah. Speaking out against injustice in Palestine is not a crime. Journalism is not a crime." Electronic Intifada is a US-based website founded in 2001 that describes itself as 'an independent online news publication focusing on Palestine'. A petition calling for Abunimah's release, set up by Swiss Action for Human Rights, has garnered over 13,000 signatures. Citing an entry ban, Swiss police said that a 53-year-old American had been detained, and that further measures were being considered under its immigration laws. 'Larger campaign' Irene Khan, the UN's special rapporteur on freedom of expression, described the arrest as "shocking news" and called for the journalist's release. Francesca Albanese, the UN's special rapporteur on occupied Palestine, said: "The climate surrounding freedom of speech in Europe is becoming increasingly toxic, and we should all be concerned." I share the shock and urge for a prompt investigation into this matter. The climate surrounding freedom of speech in Europe is becoming increasingly toxic, and we should all be concerned. — Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) January 26, 2025 Euro-Med Monitor said the arrest was "extremely concerning" and marked an "unprecedented low level of respect for human rights". "This arrest is part of a larger campaign that has seen harassment and similar arrests in other European nations, demonstrating the growing extent of repression and limitations on Palestinian rights advocates," it said. A spokesperson for the US embassy in the Swiss capital Bern said it was providing consular assistance to an American citizen, without giving further comment. A number of pro-Palestinian journalists were detained or subjected to raids in the UK last year by counter-terrorism police. London police crackdown on Gaza protest evokes 19th-century repression Read More » Among these was Asa Winstanley, an associate editor at Electronic Intifida, who in October said 10 police officers raided his home. Winstanley was not arrested or charged with any offence, but police confiscated his electronic devices, Electronic Intifida said at the time. Citing a letter addressed to Winstanley from 'Counter Terror Command', the website said he had been told he was being investigated for offences under the Terrorism Act connected to his social media posts. It said police were "aware of [Winstanley's] profession" as a journalist. The letter cited 'possible offences' under sections 1 and 2 of the Terrorism Act, relating to the offence of 'encouragement of terrorism'. It said the raid had been conducted as part of an operation codenamed 'Operation Incessantness'. The Metropolitan Police told Middle East Eye that counter-terrorism officers had searched an address in Wembley, north London, and seized electronic devices as part of an investigation into suspected terrorism offences of "support for a proscribed organisation" and "dissemination of terrorist documents".
Yahoo
26-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UN experts decry arrest of pro-Palestinian American journalist in Switzerland
GENEVA - U.N. human rights experts and activists on Sunday condemned the arrest of an American, pro-Palestinian journalist in the Swiss city of Zurich, saying it raised concerns about freedom of speech. Ali Abunimah, the executive director of online publication Electronic Intifada which calls itself "Palestine's weapon of mass instruction", was arrested by Swiss police on Saturday afternoon ahead of a speech in Zurich, the organisation said in a statement. Swiss police confirmed that a 53-year-old American had been arrested, citing an entry ban, and said further measures under its immigration law were being considered. UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression Irene Khan called it "shocking news" and urged Switzerland to investigate and release him in a post on X. "The climate surrounding freedom of speech in Europe is becoming increasingly toxic, and we should all be concerned," said Francesca Albanese, U.N. Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Occupied Territories. Pro-Palestinian advocacy group Swiss Action for Human Rights launched a petition to release Abunimah on Sunday. The U.S. mission in Bern could not immediately be reached for comment.
